


you broke my heart

by charlotteicewolf77



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: Arguments, Attempted Rape, Child Death, Dark, Drama, Episode: s01e09 The Empty Child, Episode: s01e10 The Doctor Dances, Fights, Help, Long, Love, Mpreg, Multi, Rape, Romance, Sad, Sleep, Sleeping Pills, Spoilers, angsty, medical bay, no happy ending, non-con, pub, relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-16
Updated: 2013-03-16
Packaged: 2017-11-29 12:57:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 22
Words: 23,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/687212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlotteicewolf77/pseuds/charlotteicewolf77
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>the Doctor left then came back; Rose has found happiness with someone else and is completely ignoring the Doctor. Now the Doctor is staying in Cardiff practically stalking Rose and enlisting the help of the torchwood team to help him win back his girl. But Jack is utterly wrong to him and still suffering the consequences of his past, Ianto resents the Doctor and is trying his best to help Jack, Martha is Rose’s best friend and is determined for Rose to make a go of it with her new man and Mickey is discovering a sister he never knew he had. Join the Doctor and friends as they attempt to survive the trials that are relationships, memories, mistakes and families. Dark! Doctor</p><p>set after series 2 doctor who between series 2 and 3 torchwood   </p><p>probably won't be updated for a while after the second chapter</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. arrival

**Author's Note:**

> Dark doctor in future chapters and no happy ending, be warned
> 
> AU info= rose and mickey weren't stranded in the parallel world but jackie chose to go back with pete, the doctor left rose in london after series 2 and series 3 happened the same but donna never came back to the tardis and torchwood all happened the same

Vworp! Vworp! The sound of the TARDIS’ engines faded out into nothing as the wind dropped and the leaves fell. A moment later a youthful face with spiky brown hair pooped out the door and examined its surroundings. “Cardiff, Wales, the early 21st century.” The man announced after a few short seconds pause. The rest of him stepped out of the little blue box and revealed himself to be the one and only Doctor. He glanced around in the evening sunlight with a thoughtful expression on his face. “So that means Jack must be… this way!” he announced to his empty surroundings as he spun round and marched off- his coat tails flapping genitally in the breeze. “Oooh!” if anybody had been around to observe the time lord’s face (which they weren’t) they would have seen his mood change from jolly to quizzical and he hurried back to the TARDIS and resolutely locked the door behind him and pocketed the key with a firm pat. “That’s better.” The Doctor stroked the painted wooden panels and resumed his walking, unaware that his entire arrival had been watched on CCTV by a very stoic and resentful welsh man.

DW

Jack and Martha were just leaving a nearby café with their hands full of boxes when the Doctor found them. He had planned on running up and hugging the pair to death but stopped himself just short of leaving the shadows and decided up on observing his two friends for a while instead. Martha, he was pleased to see, looked just as bright and exuberant as she had the last time. Jack seemed pale and thin; with his eyes possessing an even more haunted look than before, though he quickly dismissed that as just the poor lighting quality. The nine hundred year old Gallifreyan waited until they paused in their speech before stepping into the glare of a nearby street lamp. “Hello you pair, did you miss me?” he grinned at the shock that was showing on both their faces.

Martha turned to Jack and placed her bundle into his arms and started towards him in spite of the immortal’s barely audible mutterings not to. The Doctor slowly took a step back; he had seen similar expressions to that on mother’s faces before they gave him a slap. It was an experience that he only wanted to repeat every other regeneration or so. To his surprise, however, the young medic stopped a foot or so away from him, fist balled up with barley suppressed anger. “One year!” Martha yelled, almost incandescent with rage, “One flaming year Doctor! One year with no phone calls, no letters, no message at all and now you come sauntering back in, all teeth and smiles! Where were you when we needed you?! When Sarah Jane was about to get married to someone who was under the influence of the Trickster? Or when some sick bastards were cutting up a space whale and selling its meat? Where were you when we needed you?!” she swore again and turned away, all of her anger spent. She retrieved her things from Jack who had been watching the whole episode with an expression lingering somewhere between amusement and grim depression.

“What, no hug for me then?” he smirked at the Doctor. 

“Come here.” He pulled the immortal man into an embrace which he returned one-handily. He frowned inwardly as Jack’s ribbed poked into his arm, even though he was wearing his great coat. Not just a trick of the light after all. “So, what else did I miss?” he asked with a grin once they had broken apart. “And when do I get to meet your team?”

“You didn’t miss all that much,” Jack shrugged as they began to walk back towards the plass, pointedly ignoring the look that Martha sent his way then returning it with a pleading one of his own as soon as the Doctor’s back was turned. “Follow me and come and meet Torchwood three!” the immortal man smiled at the time lord but it didn’t reach his eyes.

They walked slowly back to the plass and used the invisible lift down to the hub and the time lord looked up as Mfwany screeched high above them. “You’ve got a dinosaur!” He said excitedly, “Where did you find her?”

“I didn’t, Ianto did.” Jack told him, the adoration that he felt for the Welshman clear in his voice. The Doctor looked even more animated.

“The Ianto Jones?” he asked, “The one you wouldn’t stop talking about the year before last?”

“That’s the one.” Jack said, pushing the painful memories away. Mickey and Gwen were coming down from the board room upon having noticed the new arrival.

“Doctor!” Mickey laughed happily before pulling his friend into a hug.

“Hello again Mickey Mouse!” said plimsoll wearing brunette cried out. He turned to the Welshwoman standing further back, “And you must be Gwen! Lovely to meet you at last!” 

“Um… you as well.” Gwen stammered, ever so slightly overcome by his natural exuberance.

“Hey where’s Ianto?” Jack asked puzzled.

Mickey replied with a shrug, “Said something about picking up a part for the coffee machine, was gonna stop him until he said that it would make the coffee better, then I couldn’t get him out the door fast enough.”

“Better coffee?!” the ex con man demanded gleefully, “When’s he coming back?!”

“Ianto says that he isn’t going to update the coffee machine until tomorrow!” Gwen shouted over from where she was idly browsing through her emails. Jack gave her a pout that would have rivalled a three year old. Just then the cog door rolled open and the suit wearing tea boy stepped inside the secret base.

“Ianto!” the immortal ex time agent shouted cheerfully, bounding over and taking his lover’s hand in order to pull him further into the hub. “The Doctor’s come for a visit! Isn’t that great?” Ianto cast a secret look of contempt in the time lord’s direction but this was the happiest that Jack had been in weeks so he kept his feelings to himself.

“That’s great, really.” He told the elder man, pressing a kiss to his lips, “I’ll just go and put everything away and then I’ll go get us some drinks.”

“The Doctor likes tea.”

And Ianto nodded, hating how Jack became like a puppy in the alien's presence, begging for praise but expecting a kick instead. He quickly headed to the kitchen before he could be anymore tempted to give the Doctor a good punch in the face.

DW

Later, the last rays of the sun were just beginning to disappear from the sky and the Doctor had long since finished his tea and was bouncing around the hub quite happily. Earlier Jack had taken him down to see Janet and the plimsoll wearing time lord who wanted to be ginger had translated a lot of her snarls and growls into words that the torchwood team would be able to understand.

Ianto had served them all drinks before going about his usual evening chores of cleaning the hub and then had retreated down to his safe haven of the archives- well away from a certain two-hearted alien. Said hyperactive brunette was currently talking nine to the dozen as he explained the usage of a piece of alien technology that had come through the rift the previous day to Jack and Mickey whilst Martha had disappeared to the medical bay, still fuming at the nine hundred year old Gallifreyan.

It was only a matter of time before, “So,” the Doctor asked his friends cheerfully, “Where’s Rose?” Jack and Mickey looked at each other, discomfort reading all over their faces before Jack hesitantly replied.

“Well,” he began, “That might be a bit difficult…”


	2. moving on

The Doctor stared down at the restaurant from his position on top of the hill with the Torchwood SUV and Martha’s car behind him and reached shakily for the binoculars in his coat pocket. Through the brightly lit window to the restaurant, he saw two people sitting at a table with bright grins clear on their faces. One of them looked just a tad taller than him with cropped black hair and a blue jacket and the other… had blonde shoulder-length hair with a pink hoodie with a white zip and brown eyes and perfectly manicured nails. He hesitantly raised the binoculars up to his face and peered through the glass, and promptly dropped them back down again before stumbling back a few paces on legs that he wasn’t quite sure would hold his weight for much longer.

Rose. The girl was Rose, his Rose. With another man, his Rose in a relationship, with someone else, that wasn’t him. He was really struggling to get his head around all this. The time lord vaguely noticed that Jack had appeared by his side with a concerned look on his face, the other three slowly exiting the cars were just looking at the scene playing out before them with plain indifference. “When did this happen?” the Doctor asked his friend hoarsely. 

“A couple of months after you dropped her off.” Jack replied and the Doctor wondered why the immortal ex con-man was the only person in the group showing any emotion.

“And none of you thought of telling me?!” He snapped at the rest of them. Surprisingly enough, it was Ianto who answered, even though the Welshman had barely even spoken a sentence to him since he had gotten here.

“You dropped her off in London without so much as a sentence by way of explanation, that right there was reason enough to fall out of love with you for the rest of her life- which will most likely be longer and a damn sight more fulfilling now she’s no longer travelling with you. Secondly, what Rose does in her own time is her own private business and is nothing to do with anyone else, nor does it rarely have an effect on any of us, including you. And on a further note, I’d rather you didn’t speak to us in such an uncouth manner- especially to Jack, who happens to be, not just my boyfriend, but also my employer and good friend- and we have done you a favour bringing you here seeing as Rose was incredibly adamant that she wanted nothing more to do with you ever again.”

The Doctor was part angry, part flabbergasted and maybe just a tiny bit in awe of this young tea boy come secretary who clearly wasn’t afraid of putting him in his place in spite of the fact that he was the Oncoming Storm, the Great Almighty last of the time lords. Ianto was just about to go and sulk in the SUV when he remembered another point that he wanted to make and turned back around.

“One more thing,” he added coolly, “how would we be able to inform you of the developments in Rose’s love life when we had no way of contacting you?” At the Doctor’s nonplussed expression he continued, “Every time that Martha attempted to call you there was no answer and you didn’t deem Jack either important or responsible enough to be given a means of getting in touch. You brought all of this on yourself Doctor and trying to pass the blame onto others does nothing more than make you sink even lower in my opinion of you.” With that parting comment, Ianto turned sharply on his heel and jumped into the passenger seat of the SUV, making a point of slamming the door behind him.

Mickey shifted nervously from foot to foot as he glanced from the converse-wearing time lord to the irate Welshman in the car and back again, wondering whether he would end up helping Jack pull the pair apart or if Martha would just smack him again and save the rest of them the trouble. Jack looked conflicted for a moment, looking at both of them and clearly indecisive at to whose side he should take: the man who he loved more than anything in the universe or the one that showed him the stars and gave him a better life? The immortal former time agent settled for clapping the Gallifreyan reassuringly on the shoulder and climbing back into the driver’s seat and began trying to placate his lover who by that time was incandescent with rage. 

Martha and Mickey both shared a look with Gwen before they all clambered back inside- the Welshwoman opting for Martha’s vehicle to give Jack and Ianto some space. The Doctor turned his back on the two cars and gazed forlornly down at the restaurant and the couple who were happily chatting and sharing the odd smooch without a care in the world. Images flashed through his mind, a huge torrential downpour through his brain one after another after another: 

A man with closely cropped black hair and big ears grabbing the hand of a naïve little shop girl and simply telling her to run, the same leather-wearing man with a northern accent watching the girl as she spun round and round with her arms spread out, trying to catch a snowflake on her little pink tongue. Then a new man, wearing converse and a tie along with a suit but still the same man, laughing at the girl’s childishness as she insisted on building a sandcastle. A little girl with blonde hair who was neither a shop girl or naïve any longer, looking up at him with brown eyes full of tears as he dropped her off outside her old flat then left with no reply to her ‘I love you’, just a feeble sounding ‘I’ll be back’, before he walked out of her life.

The Doctor thought this must have been how Jack had felt when he was left behind on the Game Station accidentally on purpose and was then reunited again after more than a century of waiting. It had only been three years for him since he had last seen Rose and yet the pain in his chest was so bad that one of his hearts could stop and he wouldn’t notice. The time lord looked down once again at the restaurant and hastily blinked back the tears before anyone could notice them as the painful realisation sunk in: Rose had moved on, away from him.


	3. night time

Ianto gazed down at his lover sleeping on the bed. It had taken an hour of begging, followed by half an hour of yelling, fifteen minuites of sulking on both sides and then a further hour of make-up sex until Ianto was finally able to convince the elder man to sleep. The Welshman let out a weary sigh and scrubbed a hand over his face as he thought of just how much he resented the Doctor. His musings were cut short, however, when Jack started to squirm restlessly and an inaudible stream of mutterings left his lips. "Jack?" Ianto asked, trying to rouse the immortal ex con-man, "Jack, cariad, it's all ok, it's just a nightmare, I promise. Come on now Jack, wake up now." The young tea boy pulled him into a tight embrace.

Eventually, Jack woke up with a pained sob and immediately made a grab for Ianto in order to squeeze him equally tight. "Hey, sshh," Ianto whispered as he stroked soothing circles on his back as the elder gave another sob, "do you want to talk about it?" To his surprise, Jack plunged into a tearful explanation.

"Y…you just threw yourself off the roof and left me a note saying you couldn't take it anymore and that if I really wanted Gwen then I should have just taken her in the first place instead of breaking your heart. Oh, God, Yan, I swear I don't like Gwen in that way! Please, Yan, I swear, just don't leave me, please." Jack broke down sobbing again and the Welshman pulled him close and brushed a tender kiss on his forehead.

"Don't cry cariad, I know you would never cheat on me with Gwen and I would never kill myself."

"You'll still leave me eventually though." Jack sniffed unhappily.

"Well, I'm afraid that's true, yes, but you shouldn't worry about the future, we're torchwood, anything can happen. Now, why don't you tell me what's been bothering you since the Doctor came?"

"It's stupid." Jack mumbled.

"I still want to hear it."

"It's…" Jack looked up at him with teary blue eyes, "do you think the Doctor will call me wrong again Yan?" he asked anxiously.

"You're not wrong cariad," the Welshman assured him, "the Doctor had no right to say that about you and if he carried on like this then I'm going to have a word with him."

"But…" Jack started before trailing off.

"But what?"

"You know what I told you about the year that never was?"

"When you went away with the Doctor the first time, yes, what about it?"

"The Master, you know, did stuff to me and not just the torture and mind games, and one day when he killed me he had a medical scanner thing and he told me that he had managed to get me pregnant a…and he told me in the same room he kept the Doctor in and when the Master said that the child was wrong, the D…Doctor agreed with him."

"How can you even get pregnant?"

"By the time I was born the human race had spread throughout the galaxy and during that time interspecies breeding will have taken place along with genetic mutations for whatever reason, such as repopulation after wars or whatever else."

"What happened to the child?"

"He… the Master a…a…ate her Yan! My immortality only protects a kid if they're inside of me. And he did it in front of the Doctor a…and the D…Doctor had an agreeing look on his face, I'm sorry Yan."

"That fucking bastard!" Ianto fumed, "Fucking oncoming storm my arse! The next time I see him I am going to fucking punch him!"

"No!" Jack pleaded with him, "What if he reacts badly Yan?! He's killed daleks and loads of other enemies, he might hurt you!"

Any other time Ianto would have thought that childish Jack was downright adorable but right now he saw a little boy scared of upsetting a person he loved more than almost anything and hastened to reassure him, "No cariad, he needs to be taken down a peg or two for everyone's sakes, himself included. Now why don't you go and have a shower and then you can try to get some more sleep because you need it."

"Ok." Jack replied happily before scrambling off the bed. Ianto watched him go with a frown, he definitely didn't like the Doctor very much.

~0~

Rose stared up idly at the ceiling of the bedroom while Dave lay drowsily beside her, both of them fully sated after a night of passionate love-making. And she did love him, honestly, it was just… she missed exploring the universe. Rose knew that it wasn't just the lifestyle that she had been in love with but, once upon a time, she had been in love with the time lord as well, with all of her being. Until he had abandoned her that is. And it turned out that she wasn't the first! She wasn't sure whether to be happy or angry about that. But the Doctor apparently had a long list of abandoning his companions. Jack on the Game Station, her outside the old flat in London, Sarah Jane in Aberdeen, his own granddaughter sometime in the 22nd century, sometimes she wondered if it was perhaps a race-trait.

Dave turned over with a soft groan, pulling her in for a cuddle, "What's the matter babe?" he asked as he nuzzled into her neck, "You've been edgy ever since we got back from the restaurant."

"'S nothing," she answered with a sigh as she snuggled further into his warmth, "'s just I feel like someone is watching us."

"Mmmm, you worry too much babe, you're going paranoid. I can take your mind off it…" Dave suggested with a smirk and he slapped her arse invitingly.

"We just had sex!" Rose laughed, dark mood forgotten, "You're insatiable!"

"Are you up for it then?" the elder asked.

"Not tonight babe," Rose yawned, "I'm too tired."

"Spoilsport." Dave pouted but spooned her anyway. "Night." He mumbled and was asleep in seconds.

Rose went back to staring up at the ceiling, counting the amount of cracks in the plasterwork as a way of passing the time. The first time that she felt she was being watched was in the restaurant earlier, she had looked out the window and was certain that she had spotted a figure with binoculars wearing a blue suit and long brown coat. But, no, that was impossible wasn't it? Although he had said, hadn't he, when he left her in London, he said 'I'll be back', was it so impossible after all then? Either way, she wasn't going to take him back, no matter how much the stupid time lord begged and pleaded and tried to reason with her. I don't need him, Rose thought to herself determinedly. I have a much better life now with Dave; I won't go back to travelling with him. I don't love him, not anymore, the blonde girl told herself fiercely.

I better not love him, she added with a little less confidence as she dropped off to sleep.

~0~

The Doctor wandered restlessly around the many corridors of the Tardis as he thought back on the events of the day. He had watched the restaurant until the pair was onto desert and only left when the glares coming his way from Ianto and Martha were practically searing holes into his back. The time lord blinked and suddenly he found himself at the door to Rose's old room, he hadn't been in there ever, whenever they'd made love they had done it in a spare room, although she had believed it to be his. Hell, even he didn't like his room.

The other night he had visited Jack's room, technically rooms. The immortal man hadn't stayed more than a few hours after The Year That Never Was and in spite of only wanting to venture into the control room and no further, the need to shower was too great and the time ship had created a new bedroom for him as well- a gesture much appreciated but not taken up on. The difference between the two rooms was stark and he hadn't been able to stay there for very long.

But Rose's old room, he tried the handle and the Tardis surprisingly let him enter. Messy, the first thing that struck him about the room was the mess, not an 'I can't be fucking arsed' or 'I don't give a fucking shit' kind of mess, just a normal teenage girl's bedroom with a well-meant 'I want to tidy up in here but life just keeps getting in the way' mess. He hoped that one day she would get to tidy up in here. He told her he'd be back didn't he? She was the one in the wrong; she knew how dodgy his landing could be. She would take him back though; women were strange at the best of times. She would take him back, eventually.


	4. revelations all round

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you find out more about Mickey's siter in this chapter

It was just a normal day. Martha and Mickey both very nearly came in late as the result of a fumble in the shower (one night does very little to satisfy a man's need for long), Jack and Ianto were there early and yet they had still had enough time for a much longer grope in the shower than him and Martha (sometimes Mickey would love to live in the hub) and Gwen had come in on a loved-up high because Rhys had made her breakfast in bed (lucky her, Martha could burn water). So it was only when he was on the lunch run and he put his hand in his jacket pocket did Mickey realise that with the morning chaos he had put the one letter he had received into his pocket to read later (at least he hadn't put his jacket in the washing machine like Martha had been wanting him to do for weeks). He made his way back to the hub and waited until he had a quiet moment before opening the letter.

Dear Mr M. Smith,

It is our sad duty to inform you that your sister, Betty Rita Parks, daughter of Mrs Harrieta Parks and Mr Benjamin Smith, has passed on at the age of five. The funeral is at the Parkland Cemetery in Birmingham on 28th June at 11:30 am.

With our condolences,

Hardy and Jones Solicitors LTD.

Mickey blinked once, twice, then again as the words hit home because he definitely wasn't crying. 5 years old, he was 25 now so that meant she had been born two years before the Doctor had come into the picture and he and Rose had still been an item. 12 years after his dad ran off, 11 years after his mum broke down and he had moved into his gran's from semi-permanent to permanent. God, he really couldn't deal with this. His feet seemed to move of their own accord and took him to the shower room and sat him down on one of the wooden benches near the clothes pegs. He remembered sitting in an almost exact copy of this room at primary school after finding out that his granddad had died; tears were rolling down his cheeks as he stared blankly at the piece of paper in his hand.

The door opened and closed but he couldn't bring himself to care. "Mickey?" he realised that it was Jack who had come in and felt grateful, not that the other's didn't care but he didn't really get along very comfortably with their methods of comforting, Jack was better- seemed to know just what everybody needed. Mickey felt the immortal man sit next to him and pulled him into a hug, "What's happened?" he silently handed over the letter and waited while Jack read it, "Oh Mickey." He said and Mickey let out a sob,

"What if my dad's at the funeral?" he asked, "I don't even know what I'm more upset about, the fact that I have a dead sister, the fact that I never even knew about her until now or the fact that my dad just abandoned me."

"It's normal to be confused," Jack soothed him gently as he rubbed a strong warm hand up and down his back, "and I'm not going to tell you that everything will be ok because it's going to take time but eventually it does get better."

"Yeah?" he asked, wiping his eyes on his sleeve, "The Doctor's wrong about you, said you was all innuendo and nuffink solid but he's wrong."

"I think you got it the wrong way round Mickey Mouse," Jack smiled sadly as he fished in his pocket and brought out a crumpled tissue and wiped his tears away, "but I appreciate it all the same."

"Just 'cuz he said that doesn't make it a fact," Mickey chided him, "one day you'll realise that you're actually worth something."

"One day there'll be peace across the entire universe, one day I'll die permanently, one day the Doctor will do the same, one day your dad will stop being such a prick. It all takes time."

~0~

Rose was just leaving the shop where she worked when he stepped out in front of her. "Doctor." She regarded coldly.

"What, no kiss?" he asked, genuinely surprised. She felt anger bubbling up inside of her and forced herself to calm down, just because Jackie had slapped him more than once didn't mean she was going to lose her cool.

"No," she answered, "you don't."

"Rose wait!" he shouted and she turned back reluctantly, "What went wrong?" She lost it then.

"What went wrong was that you abandoned me! Two years Doctor and you expect me to wait for you?! Well, let me tell you something Mr Oncoming Storm! The universe does not revolve around you! Just because you sometimes deem us interesting enough to be saved does not mean we owe you anything! Torchwood London should have been allowed to bloody experiment on you! It might've knocked you off your high horse!"

The time lord carried on staring at her for a second before suddenly lunging forwards and kissing her heatedly on the lips. Bad move. Rose struggled in his frankly pathetic attempt at an iron grip and shoved him away and slapped him not once, but three times in quick succession: letting the white-hot feeling dissipate before releasing her hand again in order to cause as much pain as she possibly could. "Do that again you fucking bastard and I'll get the cops on ya!" she yelled, "and don't think that torchwood will get you out, Ianto has far more influence over Jack than you might expect and at the moment you're not very high on his Christmas card list!"

"But Rose I love you!" the Doctor shouted pleadingly, "I love you so much Rose!"

"Yeah, so much that you abandoned me!" She snapped, "I loved you once Doctor, I admit to that, but not anymore! You just show up every now and then when you have nothing else to do and you expect to be greeted with open arms and everyone running to do your bidding and don't even thank them for it! God knows why Jack even speaks to you or nobody at torchwood has punched you one! I won't say that I hate you because hate is a strong word but I really, really dislike you at the moment in time!"

"I…" he started before she cut him off.

"I don't want to hear that usual time lords are superior bollocks! I don't want any of your excuses and I don't need them because you and me are never getting back together! Oh, and also, if you dare treat Jack like he's a piece of worthless scum ever again it won't just be trying to kill you!"

"I don't do that!" the elder protested. Rose gave him a look.

"No? So what's with you calling him wrong then? Be warned Doctor, if you ever treat him like that again it won't be pretty, and that's not a threat it's a guarantee." Then she stormed off so fast that the Doctor knew it was pointless trying to catch up with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if i dont update anything for a while dont worry i'm not dead, i'm just taking part in a competion on deviantart


	5. work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which there is Doctor-dissing, a weevil alert, a near death experience and an unhappy time lord.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> will only be updating this and FIXED now until they're both finished to clear my way to finish THE PAST NEVER REALLY STAYS THAT WAY   
> was gonna post this last night but it was late and i was exhausted, hopefully another chpater tonight and at least a new one every day

"So what do you think of him?" Martha asked Ianto as they sat in a café near the hub drinking tea.

"What do I think of whom?" the Welshman replied innocently, Martha mock-glared at him.

"You know who I'm talking about Ianto, what do you think of the Doctor?"

"I think that he is a stupid, spoilt, uncouth person who's shoes are completely unsuitable for all of the running that he apparently has to do in his busy life." He replied coolly.

"True," Martha nodded, pausing to take a sip of her drink, "his clothes aren't at all practical either, whenever we have to go to some place posh he looks so scruffy and whenever we land in a poor place or are just having an ordinary day-trip he always seemed terribly overdressed compared to all the other people around us- especially if the planet is one where all the inhabitants go around practically naked. You just cannot win with that man. Why Jack puts up with him I will never know."

"I think it has something to do with the fact that he sees the Doctor as some sort of father-figure," Ianto observed, "but it doesn't make him any less of a prick."

"Mmmm," Martha murmured, having a bite of her biscuit, "how is Jack these days?"

Ianto sighed, "He had a nightmare last night after I spent well over 2 and a half hours attempting to get him to at least rest."

"What was the nightmare about?" she queried, curiosity piqued.

"Me committing suicide because I found out that he was having an affair with Gwen."

Her brow furrowed up as she thought it over, "There must have had to be some sort of trigger for a nightmare like that though, do you know what it was?"

"A mixture of things, mostly it was the Doctor calling him wrong. Also… do you know about what happened to Jack on the Valiant during the Year That Never Was?" Ianto was reluctant to say it, the immortal captain might have told him all of that stuff last night in confidence.

"You mean about the baby? Yeah, I know all about that, I tried to get Jack to stay longer after it was all over and we were back on the Tardis but he said he couldn't and when I asked him why he just broke down crying and told me everything- part of me will never forgive the Doctor for that, I think about how broken Jack looked practically every day." the medic explained, her concern for her friend's welfare evident in her voice.

"And the Doctor wonders sometimes why so many people harbour so much resentment towards him," Ianto sighed grimly. Just then, his mobile beeped and he pulled it hastily out of his pocket, "it's Jack, he and Mickey are with the Doctor back at the hub, they've just had a weevil alert. Apparently this one is being unusually vicious."

"Let's get going." Martha said.

~0~

Gwen and Rhys were enjoying a night in the pub. That happened more often these days when it had been mostly quiet at torchwood. Gwen threw back her head and laughed out loud at the comedian who was up on stage and Rhys looked on lovingly, she was without a doubt the strongest and most beautiful woman in the entire world, actually make that the whole universe.

They were only onto their second pint of the night when Gwen's phone sounded, dragging them both from their happy place and back into the grim dark world of reality, "Weevil alert?" he guessed from the way his wife's face fell.

"Yeah," she sighed, grabbing her bag, "come on, if the pair of us go then that means it will be over sooner."

~0~

The Doctor looked on curiously as the team of torchwood three chased after a loose weevil that was being unusually aggressive to all those that saw it. They had their guns with them but apart from that he was actually quite impressed with the way that they worked. He watched as Ianto and Jack raced past him and down an alleyway, he had only come along because the other option was to stay in the hub and if he had done that he would have had had to make himself a cup of tea and he didn't exactly trust Ianto not to have put poison in the sugar. Gwen and Rhys had come in their car because they had been far away from the hub but Ianto and Martha had been practically next door so they came in the SUV with him, Jack and Mickey. There was a sudden shriek from another alleyway that in reality wasn't so far away but at that point in times seemed a billion miles away. Gwen. A blur of grey and blue dashed past him as Jack sprinted towards the Welshwoman who was in danger. A streak of black and red followed him a few moments later as Ianto chased after his lover, shouting at the Doctor to get a move on.

When Jack got to the top of the alley he saw Gwen backed up into a corner with the weevil towering over her, the gun that she could have used to defend herself several metres away on the dank cold floor. "Hey ugly!" Jack called, slowly edging closer, "Why don't you pick on someone your own kind?" the weevil simply snarled in what was probably a rude response and snapped at the immortal man before turning its attention back to Gwen. "Blimey, and here was me thinking I was an interesting guy to talk to!" Jack pouted petulantly, "come on pal, why don't you leave the pretty woman be and you can have a nice warm call next to Janet."

Gwen would have given him a glare along with a very specific finger but she was too busy trying to make sure that the creature didn't slice her to pieces with its claws. Jack saw the rest of the team and the Doctor appear at the entrance to the alleyway, now the weevil had no escape route. "Come on pal," he tried one more time, attempting all the while to get between the creature and his colleague, "ugly as you might be surely you're smart enough to realise that you're trapped, why don't you just come quietly huh?" one more snarl and the weevil was lunging at Gwen, claws first and Jack felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

CRACK!

A gunshot echoed round the stone walls and blood spattered everywhere. Gwen opened her big brown eyes, what she saw was one dead weevil, one set of clothes absolutely ruined, a regretful Jack holding a gun, a relieved husband, and an unhappy Doctor.


	6. consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> doctor bashing, possibly dark in places, poor mickey and Jack, i'm sorry but the doctor insults wales in this chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i edited chapter 3 a little so you might want to go back and read but it isnt all that important

They drove back to the hub in silence with a dead weevil in the boot. Ianto glanced behind and felt rather sorry for Martha and Mickey, stuck in the cramped back seat with an irate time lord who constantly said 'I never carry a weapon' but was seen to use one on many occasions. The silence was more than a little unnerving and he looked over at Jack in the driver's seat, not looking at anything but the road in front of them. Ianto really wished he had taken the night off.

~0~

"Doctor…" Jack began as they all filed into the hub, leaving the dead weevil to stay in the boot- none of them could find the will to get it out tonight.

"No Jack!" said time lord snapped angrily, "You killed a defenceless creature in cold blood that you knew I could easily have reasoned with!" the cog door to the hub rolled open and Rose entered, looking at everyone standing there with curiosity.

"What's goin' on?" she asked.

"The Doctor here was just talking out his arse." Ianto replied with a calm that defied the tense mood.

"Says the Welshman with a stupid name, OCD and a dumb accent." The Doctor told him.

"Leave Ianto out of this!" Jack ordered the younger fiercely, there wasn't much that he challenged the Gallifreyan on but the Welshman that he loved was certainly top of the list.

"It's highly amusing Doctor," Ianto said, "that you accuse Jack of murder for trying to save the life of colleague after it's only been a fortnight since Tosh and Owen died, also, I believe you have been known to destroy entire planets on order to save your companions. Moreover, you call Jack cold blooded which is a bit hypocritical of you; finally I'd advise you not to insult Wales when there's three welsh people in the room who already dislike you."

"He has a point." Rose agreed.

"Stay out of this you blonde bimbo!" the Doctor yelled, turning on her.

"Oh, 'cuz I've never heard that one before." Rose scoffed.

"Doctor just calm down and think!" Martha begged him.

"Oh, what, like how you thought when we crashed on Toof and you almost got us both killed?!" long history but he couldn't resist bringing it up if it might hurt her feelings.

"Ok, now that's uncalled for!" Jack told him.

"Like I want to listen to the council of someone so wrong." The Gallifreyan spat maliciously.

"Doctor!" Mickey yelled, downright appalled at how the elder man was treating his friend.

"What?! It isn't my fault he's a freak and an abomination!"

Jack's breath caught in his throat, bile rising and he fought to suppress it, the Master's voice echoed in his head 'Freak, abomination, wrong, bastard, pervert, wrong'. He felt cold iron manacles around his wrists and saw the Tardis fading away as it left him in a pile of dalek dust. Saw the Doctor standing at the door to the power room at the end of the universe, the harsh red light sculpting his features into something soft and sinister all at the same time, ''s not easy even looking at you Jack 'cuz you're wrong.' The hub was suddenly deprived of air and he felt his body move as he left without a word and tears in his eyes.

"You absolute bastard!" Mickey cried, struggling against the combined force of Martha and Gwen anchoring him to the spot. Fortunately, however, they had forgotten about Ianto and the young tea boy come secretary readily surged at the converse-wearing 900 year old brunette and punched him squarely on the jaw, causing him to stumble backwards towards Rhys who merely stepped sideways and let him right himself.

"If you ever call Jack that again," Ianto snarled, there was absolutely no mistaking the cold fury present in his voice, "I will kill you slowly and painfully as many times as it takes to make you stay that way permanently. And seeing as you were so much in agreement with the Master about eating the child on the Valiant I'll be sure to do the same to you." He shared a knowing look with Martha before storming away after Jack, determined to fix the damage the Doctor had so knowingly caused with his words.

The Doctor watched the Welshman leave before turning a disgusted eye on Mickey, "So you're not brave enough to tell your fiancé about your dead sister or possibly face your dad again but you are brave enough to try and punch me and let yourself be held back by two women? That is a new low, even for you."

"Sister?!" Martha demanded, "Mickey what's he talking about?!"

"'S nothing." The man murmured softly, uncomfortable under his partner's scrutinising eyes.

"You weren't acting as though it was nothing when you were sobbing your eyes out to Jack in the changing room earlier." The Doctor sneered.

"Doctor leave him alone!" Rose shouted angrily, "I don't give a damn whether you're a time lord or not but just stop it! You say that you love me Doctor but would a person call the woman they're in love with a blonde bimbo? If you're so compassionate and saving, why are you deliberately destroying all your relationships with your friends?! I know I said that I wouldn't hate you Doctor but believe me when I say I am seriously reconsidering that right now!"

"I think you should leave mate," Rhys chipped in, deciding that if everyone else got a say then he should too, "I admit that I don't know much about aliens or torchwood or what have you but what I do know is that you disrespected my country, my wife and several of my best friends- who have all suffered enough as it is I might add. Time lord or not, you're the one in the wrong here."The Doctor looked around at the crowd of angry and hurt faces and knew that, stupid, fat little ape Rhys might be, just for once he was right. He swept out of the hub, coat tails waving majestically behind him in the non-existent breeze.

Rose let out a breath that she hadn't realised she had been holding and glanced at the time, "I have to go," she told them apologetically, "Dave will be getting worried."

Martha and Gwen both nodded, sad smiles on their faces, "Go on pet, go home to your man." The Welshwoman laughed.

She gave a grin in thanks, "Do you think Jack will be ok?" she asked with concern.

"Yeah, Ianto's with him, go on home to Dave love." The blonde girl cast one last look around then hurried out of the underground base.

"Well that was eventful," Gwen remarked with raised eyebrows as the cog door rolled shut, "Rhys, pub?"

"Yes please," her husband said, "Martha, Mickey, you want to come with us?"

"Sure." The medic agreed, Mickey, however, declined with a shake of his head.

"I should go and get the weevil out the boot," he said, walking slowly away in the direction of the underground garage, "sorry guys, Martha I might be late, don't wait up." He disappeared out of sight and as she watched him go Martha couldn't help but feel like his real reason for staying behind was to avoid talking to her.


	7. reflections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which the doctor is mentally unstabe, mickey defends jack to the doctor, martha realises that things have gotten way beyond the line and ianto learns that all is not as well as he believed it to be for longer than he realised and a lot of questions go without answers
> 
> next chapter: family ties: old and new

The Doctor watched on the monitor as Ianto approached Jack from where he was sitting lonely on a bench and wrapped his arms around him tight. The two shared a gentle kiss before the immortal ex con-man let himself break down crying and the Welshman pressed a kiss to his forehead while he rocked his lover gently back and forth and rubbed soothing circles on his back. There was sound so that he didn't have to guess the words that were being exchanged between the two lovers, "I told you he would say that Yan, I told you that I was wrong and a freak didn't I? Why are you even still here?"

"Sshh cariad, the Doctor was such a bastard to say that to you. You are not a freak or an abomination or anything like that, I promise. Are you ok?"

"I dunno, I feel weird Yan,"

"What sort of weird?"

"I dunno Yan, I th-"

On the monitor screen Jack reared up off the bench and dry-heaved into the bushes that were near the bench, Ianto grabbed him just before he fell and hit the floor and held onto him tight before the two made their way in the direction of the hub. The Doctor idly flicked at the controls for the monitor and the picture switched to Rhys, Gwen and Martha going off to the pub. The time lord absently wondered where Mickey was whilst he randomly twisted some dials on the Tardis' console and pulled a few levers but the old time ship merely shuddered and gave a small groan-like sound, she wasn't happy. He mused on whether it was because of the stuff that he had said to Jack or one of the others or even simply because he had insulted Wales and its people. The Tardis gave another groan and the Doctor decided that he should probably leave.

He walked slowly out the door and over to the metal railings and looked out over the black sea reflecting the bright, silver moon- like a plate floating on oil. Footsteps sounded behind him and he knew who it was without even having to turn around to look. "Mickey," he acknowledged.

"Doctor," the younger man returned, equally cold. The anger that he had felt just minuites earlier had melted away and he felt confused as to why he had gotten do riled up at what- compared to some of the stuff his other companions had had to do over the years, was really nothing, "why?" Mickey asked, and the time lord knew what he was referring to, "I mean, Jack's been through a lot you know."

"Of course I know that!" the Doctor snapped, "I know him better than probably anyone!"

"Yeah?" Mickey asked him doubtfully, but still refusing to lose his temper, "then did you know that the thing Jack always regretted the most was letting go of his little brother's hand?" at the Doctor's confused expression he shook his head, "yes Doctor, you were his best friend, but in your previous regeneration and even then you didn't let him stick around long enough to get to know him properly."

"That's different! Back then Jack wasn't-"

"If you dare say wrong or anything like that you will regret it!" Mickey snarled in warning.

"Ok, so I screwed up where Jack's concerned," the Gallifreyan conceded, "but what I don't get is why Rose is so angry with me, explain that one Mickey Mouse."

"You abandoned her for two years!"

"I told her I would come back! And she knows what my landings are like!"

"Yes, you got yourself a new companion for two years, one of which was spent watching Jack get tortured over 800 times and then spent the final year just drifting until you eventually remembered that you had responsibilities back here in Cardiff! Why did you even leave in the first place?!"

"I…" the Doctor started before trailing off into an awkward silence, he didn't know why actually. It had been only a couple of months since the battle of Canary Wharf and being so close to the breach between two universes must have done something to addle his brains. Mickey took his failure to answer as an excuse,

"You're a bloody coward Doctor, you always run away from your problems don't you?" then the younger man walked away, he already knew the answer to that question.

~0~

Martha didn't like the hub at night, it was too cold and empty and full of shadows. She knew she wasn't alone of course, Ianto was asleep in Jack's bunker under his office, Mickey was pacing around the tourist office, calming himself down after his confrontation with the Doctor and Jack was… well she hoped she was about to find him otherwise she'd have cut her evening in the pub short for nothing. Her footsteps echoed eerily on the cold hard floor as she headed in the direction of the cryo-freeze chambers, more specifically Gray's cryo-freeze chamber.

She saw his legs first, then the rest of his body emerged out of the shadows; the tear tracks on his cheeks clear to see. Oh Jack, she thought sadly. Despite the noise that she had made getting there he didn't appear to have noticed her, just sitting opposite Gray's drawer in the freezing cold. Martha took her leave and went back the way that she had come.

~0~

Ianto was awoken by a shoe hitting his head. A woman's shoe actually, the two inch heel of which narrowly missing his eye. "Oi!" he shouted up at the hatch to Jack's office blearily; through sllep-laden eyes he saw Martha.

"Are you decent?" she asked him, completely disregarding his yell.

"Yes," he replied irritably, "what d'you want? She simply chucked down a bottle onto the bed accompanied by a strange rattling noise that indicated that it was filled to the brim with tablets of some kind. "Sleeping pills?" the Welshman asked her in confusion as he read the label.

"They're for Jack," the medic told him.

"Jack?!" Ianto demanded, confusion growing.

"You told me that he hasn't slept well ever since you got together with him." She reminded him.

"Well, yes, but pills?" he queried incredulously, "It isn't that serious is it?"

"When was the last time that Jack slept the whole night through?" the tea boy couldn't answer that.


	8. family ties, old and new

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which rose gets a life changing offer, jack helps mickey and mickey goes on a day trip
> 
> next chapter: inevitable

Mickey glanced up at his computer screen and then back down at his piece of paper as he scribbled down the address of Harrieta Parks and then printed off the directions from Google. There was nobody in to start the day yet; Martha and Gwen were probably still in bed, feeling the effects of last night whilst Jack and Ianto had been asleep in the immortal man's bunker under his office the last time that he had checked and he just wouldn't feel right to wake them up like that for what was really nothing much at all. He hastily wrote a quick note to explain his unexpected absence for when his colleagues either arrived or woke up from their slumber and left it on Jack's desk saying that he had gone to look into something and would be back as soon as he possibly could.

Just as Mickey hesitated at the door of the pretend tourist office that served as torchwood's cover, he was enveloped in a bear hug from behind and he knew immediately from the smell that it was Jack; he twisted round and hugged his friend back equally tight. "It'll be ok," the 51st century man promised, "It can't be any worse than meeting the in laws can it?"

"I suppose," Mickey replied, unconvinced. Jack gave him a gentle, father-son like smile and he would have given anything as a child to have a dad even remotely like him. Jack gave him another sleepy smile and Mickey wondered why he was so tried when he was usually so energetic and full of life.

"Martha gave Ianto a bottle of sleeping pills and he threatened to put me on a sex ban until I at least tried them," damn, could this bloke actually read his mind? The former ex con man simply gave him a grin and pulled him close, "good luck Mickey Mouse, not that you'll need it."

~0~

"Rose," Dave said as he slipped his arms around her waist whilst she washed the breakfast dishes.

"Yeah?" the blonde woman asked.

"What do you say to going on a cruise with me?" he asked as casually as he talked about the weather.

"What do I say to what?!" Rose shouted, abandoning the dishes to twist around in her boyfriend's grip.

"What do you say to going on a cruise with me?" Dave repeated cheerfully, "you, me, a boat, brilliant beaches and the sun, how about it?"

"What… how long for?" she stuttered, trying to regain control of her body.

"A year and a half,"

"I don't know Dave," Rose hesitated, "when do we have to leave? What about tickets? A year and a half is such a long time."

"Three days, I planned to go with my mum but she pulled out ages ago and I had no one to take until now. It's all sorted babe, you wouldn't have to worry about a thing."

"I dunno Dave," she reiterated, "I mean, it's such short notice and I'll have to tell work and get that all sorted and…I just aint sure."

"That's ok," Dave said, pressing a kiss to the back of her neck, "Just think about it, I'll see you later babe."

"Bye," she murmured as he pulled on his jacket and left for his accounting job. She let out a sigh as soon as she knew that he was out of earshot, sure she had promised herself that she'd move on, but, did she want to?

~0~

"So what's new?" Rose asked Ianto as they sat at exactly the same table in exactly the same café as he and Martha had the night previously, "and how's Jack after… everything?"

"He's coping," the Welshman didn't think that coping was really the right word to describe it but he couldn't think of any other, "he threw up last night after he ran off- or rather dry-heaved a lot as he hadn't had anything to eat for ages- I don't know whether it was just stress or shock or if he's coming down with something but I managed to convince him to take some sleeping pills that Martha got for him and he was fine."

"I should have slapped the bastard when I first had the chance," Rose muttered darkly in reference to the Doctor.

"How's Dave?" the young tea boy asked, eager to get off the subject.

"He suggested that we go on a year and a half long cruise together," Ianto's mouth dropped open in shock, "the boat for which leaves in three days." Ianto's mouth dropped possibly even lower.

"You should go," he said after he regained his power of speech.

"You think so?"

"Yeah," he insisted, "it's a once in a lifetime chance Rose, and what with Global Warming and the like it might not be around to see for much longer."

"I know but-"

"Go," Ianto told her firmly, "get away from the Doctor and just everything. Dave makes you happy Rose, don't put it off."

"I'll think it over," she promised. Ianto's phone beeped suddenly and he had a sense of déjà vu as he pulled it out of his pocket and checked the text.

"Sorry Rose, I have to go, an alert has come up and Jack isn't in any state to handle it on his own,"

"Just don't take the Doctor with you this time," she answered, only half joking, he nodded once and then was gone.

~0~

Mickey pulled up on the edges of the council estate where Henrietta Parks lived and looked up at the buildings towering ominously above him. He checked the address he had gotten from the Torchwood database and confirmed that, yes, indeed, this was the right place. He flicked through his phone's log to make sure that there really wasn't anything going on back at the hub that he really didn't have to go back there right away for before opening the car door and climbing out onto the pavement.

He made his way to tower block E and walked up the stairs to floor 16, for some reason he didn't thing the lift would be all that ride worthy. He went slowly down the balcony, avoiding the numerous puddles of urine with a practised ease that came to those who had grown up on council estates and knocked on the dilapidated wooden door of number five. No answer. He knocked again, slightly harder this time. Still nothing, so he had come all of this way for fuck all, great.


	9. for every decision that you make someone will object

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in whic rose breaks the news to martha and the doctor is both a stalker and heart broken

"I'm going on a cruise," Rose tells Martha in the pub that evening and she simply nods and asks if she would like another drink. When the torchwood medic sets another rum and coke down on the table in front of her, then she begins to ask her questions.

"So where are you off to on this cruise then?"

"I don't know just Barbados and Jamaica, the sunny places and the like. Imagine that, no crap weather for a year and a half!"

"You're going to be gone for that long?!" Martha choked on her drink, "you are seriously thinking about going on a cruise for that long?!"

"Blame it on Dave, he was going to go on it with his mum but she pulled out ages ago and now I and he are together so he asked me if I was interested."

"But still," Martha insisted, "are you sure about this Rose?"

"Positive," the blonde woman confirmed, "and maybe the Doctor will finally get it into his head that I have moved on."

"Be sure to send me a postcard," Martha grinned, "and if you see any good-looking men then make sure you get their number for me to pass on to Tish."

"I'll bear that in mind," a rare silence passed between the two of them but it wasn't an uncomfortable one.

"Can you hear something?" Martha asked her friend, brow furrowing up in confusion. Rose strained her ears and under the general noise and brouhaha of the evening pub crowd she thought she picked up a tinny, beeping, buzzing sort of sound.

"Like a mosquito buzzing and squeaking at the same time?" she asked and the other woman nodded, "where the bloody hell is it coming from and what the hell is it?" Rose swore as she threw her bag up from the seat beside her onto the table and began to run her hand over the cracked leather.

"That may not be necessary," Martha's voice cut through her frantic searching and she looked up at the elder human being with a frown and a 'why not?' expression on her face, "hold on just a second and... got it!" as the torchwood medic leaned towards her bag to inspect the handle and then plucked something off the material near the edge and presented her open palm to Rose in a triumphant manner and she saw a tiny white electronic device nestled in her hand.

"It's a bugging device from the planet Zolroid," she glanced up at Martha, "what is it doing on my bag?" then she had a moment of clarity, "The Doctor! First he stalks me and now he bugs my bag! That complete and utter bastard!" Martha watched her friend rant about the time lord and fished her phone out and pressed a button to call Jack, motioning with her hand for Rose to quieten down.

"Hello? Martha?" Ianto's voice came down the line, "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah fine, where's Jack?"

"There was a weevil alert and we've only just got back to the hub. Jack is currently trying to make us both some beans on toast, trying and failing I might add- he's burnt one lot already- but it is quite sweet of him and after last night I haven't got the heart to tell him that I'd rather just have a Chinese."

"Aww, sweet, listen, Ianto, did either of you bug Rose's bag?" unsurprisingly, Ianto was unsurprised; torchwood left little opportunities in your life to be shocked.

"Definitely not me, do you have any clue about the bugs' origins? Jack might know more about it than I do,"

"Rose says that it's from the planet Zolroid," she waited whilst the Welshman relayed the information to Jack.

"Martha?" sounded Ianto's voice as he came back on the line, "Jack says that it wasn't him but the Doctor was telling him about a trip that he made to Zolroid a little while ago."

"Thanks Ianto," she sighed, "I have to go, Rose is about to kill someone." she cut the call and turned back to her friend.

"Well?" the blonde demanded, "I was right wasn't I? It was that bastard who did this."

"The Doctor mentioned to Jack that he had recently visited Zolroid, yes," Martha replied, "so now what?"

"I'm going to give him what flaming for, that's now what!" Rose said in a tone that was just less than shrieking.

"Look just calm down!" Martha begged, "Let's just the both of us go home and we can figure out how to deal with this tomorrow."

~0~

Rose only wanted to go home. That was all she wanted, to go home and snuggle up with Dave on the sofa and watch some mind-numbing telly to try and forget that she had a stalker. Of course, it was him that stopped her from doing all of that. Why couldn't he just leave her alone?! "You're going on a cruise," the Doctor said dully, it wasn't a question.

"Yes, yes I am," Rose answered.

"And what about me Rose, what about me?"

"What do you mean what about you? We're finished Doctor, get that through your amazingly thick head."

"But why would you want to travel around this miserable lump of rock when you could see all the sights in the universe?"

"You still don't get it do you?! It doesn't matter where I'm travelling; it's who I travel with! So long as I'm with Dave I'm the happiest that I have ever been in my entire life and that included my time with you! I was so blind before Doctor but now I see that you're nothing more than a conceited, ignorant, selfish git who hurts everyone he meets in one way or another for no reason at all. Get out of my life Doctor because I no longer want you in it."

"Rose, please," the elder man begged, "I swear to you, this time it will be different, I won't abandon you again, I promise. One more chance Rose, please."

"I can't!" she shouted, near tears, "I can't because if I give in now then the next time that you screw something up and you ask for one last chance I'll give in and over and over again and it won't change!"

"There won't be a next time!" the Doctor tried again.

"Now we both know that isn't true," Rose told him softly, tears now shining in her eyes, "I'm sorry Doctor but I just can't be with you anymore." She turned and walked out of the car park and down the road as he fell to his knees crying.


	10. everyone has a dark side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dark doctor in this, i might have made it a bit graphic, be warned, rape

As soon as he entered the Tardis the Doctor went from sad to mad in the blink of an eye. Gone were the tears, overpowered by a desire to lash out and strike someone. He pulled down on the levers so hard that they cracked and splintered and the old time ship let out a groan of pain. Her thief had always treated her nicely before, what could possibly make him so angry that he would hurt her in this way? He stormed out of the console room and down the corridor whilst she was still preparing to land, kicking things over and punching the walls as he went. He went past Jack's old room from when he had first travelled on the Tardis and instead went into the bedroom the Tardis had made for him after the year that never was.

A photograph of Ianto lay on the pillow and he threw it on the floor; as it smashed he wished that he could do the same to the real person. Damn that fucking welsh bastard, if he hadn't been in love with Jack the immortal man would have stayed with him after the year that never was and then Rose would have wanted to travel with him again! The Doctor stomped on and felt the Tardis tremble around him slightly in fear, ooh, control and power felt excellent! He should try this more often! He remembered that at some point in his rage he had landed the Tardis on the plass and he went back to the control room, still knocking over anything that wasn't bolted down. He hacked into torchwood's CCTV and saw only Mickey the idiot in the tourist office and his anger sky rocketed so much that he marched out of the Tardis, not even stopping to grab his coat as he slammed the door open to try and make as much noise as possible.

The time lord stalked across the plass until he got to the fake tourist information centre, "Oh God, not you again," Mickey said when he looked up from the computer screen and saw who it was, "what's the matter? Haven't you insulted everyone yet?" which only added fuel to the fire.

"Fuck off; I need to talk to Jack now!"

"Whoa, hold on space boy. Firstly, I am a human being with rights so talk to me in a civilised manner. Secondly, if you think you are speaking to any of us after your last performance then think again. Next time you regenerate make sure to check that you have a brain in your new body."

"I don't have time to talk to imbecilic blockheads! I need to talk to Jack!"

"What for this time? Last I heard he was 'wrong', an 'abomination' and a 'freak'."

"Look if you don't let me speak to Jack Rose will leave on the stupid fucking cruise and I'll have lost her for good!" the Doctor made to step towards the hidden entrance to the hub but Mickey got there first and stood unbendingly in front of him.

"You're not getting in there Doctor; you've already upset both Jack and Ianto enough and Rose will never come back to you so there's no point."

"I said let me into the hub, damnit!" the elder snarled, attempting to push past him but the torchwood techie stood his ground.

"I told you Doctor, no, I won't." and he folded his arms just to prove his point/ the Doctor let out a noise that was something akin to a growl and his fist flew out and stuck the man squarely on his temple, causing him to topple over and hit his head on the corner of the desk.

"Leave Mickey alone, he hasn't done anything to you what so ever!" Jack appeared from seemingly nowhere and shoved the Doctor away from his friend in spite of the fact that he was still weakened by his time in the ground and the blood loss from the weevil bite that had only just healed.

The time lord's head snapped up to stare at the immortal man, thoughts racing through his head. Wrong, so wrong, such a freak, shouldn't exist, only one in the universe, abomination, so wrong that, that he had to touch, had to touch, so wrong that, that he just had to study it. Without realising what he was doing, he sprang forward and pinned Jack to the floor, hastily undoing the buttons on his shirt as he did so.

He licked a stripe on the soft skin of his cheek and shivered at the arousal he felt, so he did it again. His hands had turned into claws and ripped the blue material of his over shirt apart only to encounter the white t-shirt that Jack wore underneath and he gave a small howl of longing and started to tip apart that shirt too. Jack's hands gave him scratches up his arms but they were easy to ignore, as were the boots that attempted to kick him off and the angry and desperate shouts from Mickey. The Doctor ducked his head and pined the immortal's cheek to the floor in order to examine his neck and he gave a low growl as he thought of what he could do to a canvas that would go back to being blank as many times as he desired. His teeth grazed the skin until he found just the right spot to make his mark and bit down, making sure to draw out tiny drops of blood that he licked off with the very tip of his tongue; the metallic taste of which he wanted to savour forever.

So engrossed in the writhing man beneath him, the Doctor failed to notice the door to the tourist office bursting open and a very angry trio of welsh people and the new torchwood medic running in. arms made strong from years of rugby playing circled his waist and pulled him up onto his feet. He howled and snapped and snarled at being taken away from Jack and watched in dismay as Ianto helped the immortal man sit up and pull him close as he struggled not to cry at the torture he had just endured. Now that was certainly on experience that the Doctor wanted to repeat very soon.


	11. aftermath part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the aftermath is always hard for those involved

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again! 11th chapter now and it has a part two that I will upload tomorrow, I’m aiming for a chapter a day and sometimes I get 3 done at the week end so this story should be finished by the end of March then I can get back on track with ‘the past never really stays that way’ and complete that.

Jack and Mickey watched from their respective positions on the floor as the combined effort of their four rescuers managed to pull the struggling time lord outside. "Hey Mickey, are you alright?" Jack panted after a moment's silence.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Mickey said as he used the edge of the table to pull himself up, "what about you, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm ok," the elder replied, hoping that he sounded more confident than he felt inside.

"He was actually trying, really trying to…" the younger trailed off as he saw the angry red bite mark on Jack's neck and his face lost its colour, "oh God, Jack I'm sorry, he would never have done that to you if I had stopped him."

"I've had worse," the immortal man reassured him as he helped him to stand, "let's get you to the med bay, you probably got a nice concussion after the hit you got."

"Thought you said once that if I ever got whacked on the head the noise would just bounce around inside my skull?" Mickey smirked as he sat down on the side of the bed. Before he could give an answer, Gwen and Martha entered the hub. Gwen looked at her two friends down in the med bay and tried her best not to burst out crying.

"I'll go and put the kettle on," she told them before practically running off.

"I'll never understand what you British folk like about tea," Jack shook his head at Martha, "I'm going to go talk to her and then go for a shower. It's amazing how much room I have in there when it's only me by myself."

Martha and Mickey watched as he sauntered away and looked at each other, "One day he'll realise that he doesn't have to be the strong one all the time," the medic sighed.

"And by then he'll be on his death bed," Mickey finished for her.

~0~

"You utter bastard!" Ianto roared angrily at the Doctor as the time lord looked at him and Rhys with uninterested eyes.

"You took away my prize," he keened quietly, "you took my prize away, I hate you."

The Welshman noticed a bottle discarded on the floor and was about to pick it up when Rhys intercepted his path and kicked it away across the cobbles, "You do realise that you could be arrested for this?" he asked the Doctor, "and according to Ianto here, torchwood would be able to make sure UNIT never discovered your incarceration. Also you wouldn't have any legal ID so that would be another charge that you could be had on."

"Listen you stupid little ape!" the elder fumed, "I am a time lord! That means I am superior to you humans in nay and every way!"

"You could be Jesus Christ himself for all I care, you tried to rape Jack!" Ianto shouted, almost incandescent with rage, "as if it wasn't enough that you called him all those things and on top of all that you hurt Mickey as well!"

"If Mickey hadn't tried to stop me seeing Jack so I could stop Rose going on that cruise this would never have happened!"

"Bollocks, you would still have done exactly the same you prejudiced git, either that or you would have destroyed Jack's self-esteem completely and he would have committed suicide again!"

"What's going on here?" sounded the voice of PC Andy Davidson at the same time as Gwen came out of the tourist office and asked,

"Is he still being a fucking dick head?"

"Gwen?" Andy's brow puckered in confusion, "what's going on?"

"He," Ianto told him, pointing an accusing finger at the Doctor, "almost raped Jack!"

The policeman's eyes widened, "Is your boss ok?" he asked anxiously, even though barely anyone on the Cardiff police force particularly liked the torchwood team he would never wish anything bad to happen to one of its members.

"I don't know," Ianto replied grimly.

"Jack's having a shower," Gwen spoke up, "he's acting as though it doesn't bother him but he was almost crying when he went up to his office."

"I'll go and look after him once we've decided where to put this worthless bastard," the Welshman replied.

"Hold on, you might be torchwood and everything and your boss might be an arrogant sod at times but attempted rape is a criminal offence and technically you should be having this guy arrested." Andy told the four of them standing there.

"No," Rhys shook his head, "you know how much influence this guy has got mate? It would probably never even get to court."

"We could put him in one of our cells," Gwen suggested already knowing what Ianto would say to that.

"When hell freezes over and Jack dies permanently. He is never going into the hub or within ten feet of Jack ever again for as long as he lives!"

"Ianto, calm down and think," The Welshwoman told him gently, "if we hold him in the hub then we know UNIT can't interfere and get him out of it and the police can't find anything they shouldn't."

"No way," Ianto was adamant, "Jack will eventually let him off that way Gwen and I'm not letting him forgive this bastard again, he's had too many chances."

"Then where is he going to go?" Rhys asked.

"Don't I get a say in this?" the Doctor demanded indignantly.

"No!" came the collective answer and he wisely decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Let's just lock him in the Tardis for the night and deal with him in the morning," Ianto sighed, grabbing one of the time lord's arms and motioning for Rhys to do the same.

"What other choice do we have?" Gwen replied grimly as she led the way to the ancient time ship, PC Andy following behind with a bemused look on his face.


	12. aftermath part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lots of crying, hugging and memories,
> 
> next chapter: actions ahve consequences

"Well, you've certainly got a concussion alright," Martha concluded, her long fingers probed the gash on Mickey's head, "but the good news is that it won't need stitches."

"We still need to talk though don't we?" the techie told his fiancé as she pulled on a pair of plastic gloves and ripped open a wipe.

"Well, yes, I rather think we do," she conceded, "first of all, why didn't you tell me? Ok, not straight away, you were confused and angry and a lot of other stuff and I get that but after it had all sunk in, why not them huh?"

"I just don't know," Mickey sighed, "when I read the letter, it was just… it wasn't just enough that I had a dead sister that I never knew about until now but that my dad was still alive and he'd met someone and had a kid. He had actually made a go of it with them and it hurt that he hadn't bothered to do the same with me. I just… I didn't even know what I was doing until suddenly I was in the shower room and I was remembering all this stuff from when I was a kid like my grandpa dying and I was thinking that she was five years old and all that time I was working at the mechanics saving up money to buy me and Rose a flat he was out there with a new woman and a good family. It was all going round my head and then Jack came in and I was so worried about what would happen if my dad was at the funeral…" Mickey trailed off, knowing that his explanation was weak and pathetic and prepared himself for the bollocking that he was sure to receive. So it surprised him greatly when Martha pulled him into a hug so tight he feared that she was going to break one of his ribs and kissed the top of his head affectionately and he hated himself when he realised that the sobbing noises he could hear were coming from him.

"Sshh," Martha soothed, "it's ok Micks, it'll be ok, I promise."

"I just hate him so much," Mickey cried, "and I hate that he got another woman pregnant only for the kid to die five years later and yet a part of me still loves him and whenever I think of him I just feel like a little kid again, wondering if I'll be getting a lolly or a smack."

Martha pressed another kiss into his hair, hoping he didn't notice when some of her own tears slid down to mingle with his.

~0~

When Ianto went down into the bunker under the office and found that no lights were on, he was concerned. Ever since spending 2000 years alone underground dying over and over again Jack had developed a fear of the dark and was liable to panic if there wasn't somebody with him. The Welshman made his way towards the bathroom, taking care not to bang into anything. "Jack?" he called softly when he thought he heard a sob, "Cariad?" Ianto fumbled around until he found the light switch and the rooms went from dark to light.

Blinking away the spots in front of his eyes, the young Welshman saw the immortal ex con man curled up tightly on the freezing cold floor as he sobbed his heart out. "Jesus Christ, Jack!" Ianto exclaimed as he hurried over as fast as his legs allowed him to do so, "what's wrong? Are you hurt?!" he asked frantically, running his hands over his lover's body to see if there was any indication of what was wrong. Jack shook his head but stayed buried in his arms as sobs racked him, "hey, Sshh," Ianto soothed him gently, pulling the elder into a hug so that he could cry on his shoulder, "Talk to me cariad, why didn't you turn the lights on? I know you don't like the dark." Jack murmured something but it was muffled in his suit. "Going to have to speak up a bit cariad I can't hear you,"

The former time agent gave a sniff and looked up at Ianto, "It was my punishment," he whispered brokenly, "I'm dirty and wrong and a freak and broken so I need to be punished."

"Oh Jack," he said, trying not to cry as he was overcome with emotion.

"'M sorry," Jack sobbed, burying his head back into the younger man's shoulder, "he's all over me Yan, him and the Master and the guards on the Valiant, all their hands crawling all over me. Yan, get them off, please get them off Yan, please." He started to scratch at his arms frantically, fingernails tearing the skin and a line of blood welling up and spills over before healing up.

"Hey, stop that," Ianto ordered him, grasping his hands (but making sure to avoid his wrists) and pulling him close, "oh sweetheart, you're not broken or dirty or any of those things, I promise. You're so brilliant and wonderful and you're so strong and beautiful it makes me wonder how I ever got somebody as perfect as you."

Jack shrugged and buried his head in Ianto's neck as the Welshman helped him and moved him back to the bed. It was nice to hear that, and if they were coming from Ianto they were believable. Not true, perhaps, but believable.

~0~

The Doctor was leaning with his back on the console with a box at his feet and photos scattered all around him. He tossed away the one that he currently held and watched it float softly downwards; he wasn't in the mood to look at sunsets just now. The Tardis looked at her thief's despondent mood and felt a twang of sympathy for the last of the time lords in spite of the events that had made her voluntarily want to keep him locked in there all night and she blew a few choice pictures into his lap.

The 900 year old man picked up the photos; all were of him and Rose although some had been taken when he was in his previous body. He looked at his favourite of him and the blonde woman eating chips and stroked her hair with his finger, where did it all go wrong he asked himself sadly.


	13. actions have consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> was gonna upload this yesterday but when i pressed save i forgot, stupid i know

Rose was packing when she got the call. Well, not technically packing, more having a pillow fight with Dave but it was the thought that counts right? The phone on the bedside table rang, cutting their fun short and the blonde woman made her way through the mess to pick it up, "Hello?" she asked cheerfully.

"Rose?" sounded Ianto's worried voice, "can you come over as soon as possible please? It's urgent."

"Oh my God, Ianto, what's happened?! Had he done something again? Is Jack alright?!" Rose demanded fretfully.

"Look, Rose, I'll explain it all when I see you," the Welshman explained, "but it's worse than anything he has ever done before. I have to go, Jack's having another nightmare, I'll see you soon." And the line went dead.

"Rose?" Dave called from the other side of the room, "is everything ok?"

"I don't know, look," she reached for her jacket, "I'm sorry babe but there's been a... incident and it's bad. You remember Jack Harkness?"

"The American who was dating that welsh guy?" the elder asked, recalling the bloke that they'd met in the pub who despite being so alive looked so broken when he was alone, "Yeah, I remember him, was that who was on the phone?"

"No, that was Ianto, something's happened to Jack, and I don't know the details but it's because of a person that I and he used to travel with at one point a while back. I have to go."

"You want a lift?"

Rose considered before shaking her head, "Nah, its ok. I'll call you if anything else happens; hopefully I shouldn't be there for too long."

"Good luck," he bid her as she almost sprinted out the door.

~0~

When Rose arrived at the hub it was to what she guessed wasn't the first argument between Ianto and the Doctor. She spotted Martha and Mickey standing out of firing range in the corner and went over to them unnoticed by the other two. "What happened?" she asked the couple. Ianto finally realised she was there and walked off away from the Doctor who was in the middle of ranting some shit about superior species. "What happened?" Rose asked again when no one answered her the first time.

"Ask Mickey, he was there." The Welshman told her, reaching behind him to grab hold of the Doctor's collar and pull him away from walking up to Jack's office.

"Well?" the blonde directed at Mickey in a tone that brooked no arguments.

He sighed and went forth with his explanation, "I was in the tourist office last night when the Doctor came in yelling and angry and he wanted to come down in here and see Jack but I told him no so he punched me. (It was then that Rose noticed the cut on his head.) Jack came and told him to leave me alone and then, then he tried to rape Jack."

"He did what?!" Rose shrieked in outrage.

"It gets worse, oh believe me it gets worse," Martha told her grimly, "Rhys and Ianto managed to dragged him outside and all he said was 'you took away my prize' and blamed the whole thing on Mickey."

Out of her peripheral vision, Rose saw that the Doctor had finally noticed her and was advancing on their group with a smile. Her blood boiled and her mind went blank, she wasn't Jackie Tyler's daughter for nothing and she turned and slapped him hard across the face, her ring scratching a line of red in his skin, "You bastard," she told him bluntly as he stumbled and tripped backward over his own two feet, "Is Jack ok?" she asked Ianto worriedly.

"He was in bits last night and this morning he had a nightmare but that's nothing new. The only severe damage is that he doesn't think I'll want to touch him because he's 'dirty'. We dealt with all this after the Valiant though so we'll get through it."

"Jack never got raped on the Valiant!" The Doctor protested from where he still sat on the floor. Martha didn't like the route that the conversation was going down, she wasn't particularly fond of the year that never was so she grabbed Mickey's hand and they left for home; saying that she wanted to sleep in a proper bed and Mickey didn't object. Ianto watched the pair go and made sure that they were out of earshot before yelling at the Doctor again. After hearing the words 'rape' and 'the Master' several times Rose wasn't all that sure that she wanted to listen in on much more of it and went off on her own in search of Jack. She dithered on whether to go up or down then remembered how Ianto stopped the Doctor from going to the office and went up.

"Jack?" she called out softly as she cracked open the door, "Jack are you in here?" the office was empty but the hatch that led down to the bunker was open so she padded over and peered down.

In hindsight, she realised that jumping on top of a person who had just nearly been raped to hug them to death probably wasn't the smartest idea she had ever had but it had seemed like a good idea at the time. Rose was the one to eventually break their hug and looked up at Jack with big brown eyes, "Did he do that?" she asked in a horrified whisper, finger tracing the fading purple mark on his neck. The immortal man nodded and pulled her close as she uttered a sob.

"Sshh," Jack soothed her, "It's ok, he didn't seriously hurt anyone, and Mickey will be ok. It's going to be ok."

"I knew he could be a bastard sometimes," she sobbed, "and I knew he was certainly no saint but he tried to rape you Jack, it's just so sick!"

"Sshh, it's ok, I've had worse sweetheart."

"Not the point!" she told him indignantly, "the point is that he tried to rape you! Whether he succeeded or not doesn't matter, what matters is that somebody tried to rape you! And what makes it even worse is that the person who did it was once your best friend!"

Jack shifted slightly and the movement caused her to release her iron grip on his shirt, "Let's get you home," he told her, kissing the top of her nose gently, "you have got a cruise to pack for after all." And Rose knew that the conversation was over.


	14. a fond farewell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which rose elaves on the cruise, the doctor spies and jack remembers
> 
> next chapter: quality time

2 days later=

Rose grabbed the last of her bags out of the boot of the car and hauled them onto the trolley and smiled thank you at a porter who stepped forward and wheeled it away and up the ramp to the ship. She turned and hugged Jack tight, now she was actually here for some strange reason she really didn't want to go. She buried her face in the immortal man's coat and breathed in the smell of 51st century pheromones for the last time in a year and a half, "I'm gonna miss you," and her voice was muffled because of the coat not because she was crying.

"Haven't we all cried enough this week?" Jack smirked but he let her hug him for a bit longer.

"'M not crying ya dick head." Rose mumbled, glad she hadn't put any make up on yet.

"Of course you're not," he laughed, retrieving a crumpled up tissue from seemingly nowhere and wiping her eyes. He sobered suddenly and kissed the top of her hair, "I'll miss you Rosie," Rose clung harder and was glad that Dave had had to take a detour to his mother's house and wouldn't arrive for another few minuites, "this is a whole new adventure," Jack told her with a grin, "don't let the memories of the Doctor hold you back sweetheart, you're only 24, you have your whole life ahead of you, don't waste it."

"That's ever so slightly weird coming from the man who is immortal but wants to die permanently," she chastened him before running a finger over the dark circles under his eyes, "you're not sleeping." She accused.

"I don't need to sleep, immortal over here remember?"

"You don't need much sleep," she told him, "but you still need sleep so what are you avoiding it for?" Jack simply bit his lip and looked down at the floor, unable to give her an answer, "It's 'cuz you don't want to wake Ianto if you have a nightmare isn't it? You aint scared of the nightmares, you're scared Ianto won't be able to cope with all the emotional crap going on in your head and leave. I'm right aren't I?"

"Why would he want to spend the rest of his life with someone who's a dirty freak?" Jack murmured softly, blinking back the tears.

"Oh honey," Rose said, pulling him in close, "that's the Doctor and all of his shit stuff in your head, not Ianto. Why do you even listen to it? It's obviously not true."

He whimpered slightly and shrugged, "A part of me still thinks that I owe him because he saved me from the bomb and let me stay on board the Tardis."

"Ok, let us think about this logically. The Doctor stopped the Nano genes and saved you from the bomb only at my insistence. Then he leaves you on the Game Station, makes you wait 150 years for him, calls you wrong, acts as if you're worthless, tries to fucking rape you. Hmm, am I forgetting anything?" she asks rhetorically, "Oh, yes, when we were on the Tardis and you made that thing to go on the shields- at her instructions and gave you permission- and it saved our lives he would have smacked you and technically did. Then when he asked you where you wanted to go one day and you asked to go to your dad's grave he refused and told you to try again so you picked world war two so you could make sure that Algy was doing ok, you didn't even want to speak to him or nuffink just watch, and he still refused. Need I go on?"

"I'm never going to win this argument am I?" Jack smiled at her.

"No," she replied and he laughed.

"Have fun Rosie," he told her, "and be sure to send us all lots of postcards."

"Will do," the younger grinned, hugging him one last time, "be a good boy now."

"Aren't I always?" Rose just gave him a knowing smirk before scampering away, knowing that if she looked back she would never be able to go forwards again.

~0~

The Doctor had been watching the entire scene from the shadow of a big load of containment boxes and crates. He watched as the porter left Rose and Jack alone and he watched as Rose hugged him and breathed in the smell of his coat and he watched as there were tears on both sides and he watched as she scampered away with tears running down her beautiful porcelain cheeks and he watched as she walked up the gangway, politely nodded an 'I'm fine' at the people who shot her concerned looks as she past.

The Doctor watched as Jack walked to the end of a pier sort of thing and waved goodbye to her and she waved back, somehow seeming the perfect picture of joy and sorrow at the same time and he thought that it would be quite a good and poignant movie scene if it wasn't his girl that was leaving. Jack waved until Rose disappeared from the railings into the scrum of people behind her and he began to make his way slowly back to the car. The Doctor waited until he was almost back at the vehicle before stepping out of the shadows and making himself know, "Jack," he said simply as the immortal turned around to look at him.

Jack saw the Doctor and heard him call his name. memories flashed through his mind's eye of skin on his, teeth biting all over him, of the Valiant and torture, of the Master eating his baby, his beautiful little baby girl forced to suffer such a humiliation so young. The aged Doctor looking at the Master tucking into the tiny body with indifference and consent as Lucy and Tish clung to one another crying and Clive rubbed Francine's back whilst she threw up; Lucy staying behind after another session of torture to tell him that she had scraped together the scant remains of the body and given her a proper funeral and that the name on the grave read Jacqueline Harkness-Jones, the Doctor only offering the chance for him to stay because Martha had ordered him to do so. The Doctor in the tourist office pinning him down with the exact same look in the eyes as the Master had had.

And as much as he hated himself for it, he ran away from the Doctor just like the younger man had run away from him on Satellite Five. The Doctor watched before turning and making his way back to the Tardis.


	15. quality time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mickey is finally relieved of his guilt, bridges are built and everyone gets some mcuh needed quality time
> 
> next chapter: rift alert

Mickey decided just as he pulled up that this was a very bad idea. He didn't know why he was thinking it was a very bad idea; it was just a gut feeling. Martha had been supportive, telling him it was better to get it over and done with. 'Am I ever wrong Mickey?' well you're not always right, he had wanted to tell her before deciding that it was probably in his best interests to not say anything. He let out a world-weary sigh and walked around the numerous tower blocks, remembering the way there from his previous visit.

Once again he opted for the stairs and was quite happy to help a struggling woman with four little toddlers, a double-buggy and a fortnight's worth of shopping up to the top floor. Mickey gave himself a mental slap and told himself to stop procrastinating as he paced uncertainly up and down outside the door. Reluctantly, he rapped on the door and waited for it to open; hopefully this trip wouldn't be a waste of time too.

The lock clicked and several chains rattled before the door opened and a woman peered out with big green eyes, "Yes," she addressed him quietly; "can I help you?"

"Are you Harrieta Parks?" she nodded at him, "I think you're my step-mum." No point in beating around the bush, he thought to himself. Harrieta let out a small gasp and tightened her grip on the door frame.

"Mickey Smith?" she queried him and he nodded, she opened the door fully and beckoned him inside. He paused whilst she relocked the door and then lead him into the living room and took a better look at her. Short, so slim that she looked as though she'd snap if anyone touched her, long brown hair that reached down to her waist with bright red streaks in it.

"I heard about Betty," Mickey said, "I'm sorry."

Harrieta just shook her head solemnly, "She was always running around getting into trouble," a tiny smile made her lips twitch upwards and he tried to smile back, "but that one day that you think they'll be fine for just a couple of seconds on their own…" she trailed off and pressed a shaking frail hand to her mouth and Mickey gave a shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Where was my dad while all of this was going on then?"

"Him?" Harrieta gave a soft snort, "Locked up in prison for burglary and GBH on Betty's first birthday, apparently they suspect him of child molestation too. Luckily he was never round here long enough to do that to my girl." She raised her head to look him in the eye, "You were eight when he left right? Did he ever do… you know, that to you?"

Mickey shook his head and Harrieta looked visibly relieved but he still needed to ask, couldn't help himself, he needed to know, "He didn't talk about you," she told him gently. Blimey, she was almost as good at reading people as Jack was, "he mentioned you a couple of times- and not in the best of lights I might add- but he doesn't care about anyone Mickey. The world is better off without him." And that was all he needed, years of guilt over hating his own father were eradicated with those six little words.

~0~

That night Gwen and Rhys had taken advantage of the lull in rift activity and gone straight home and up to bed, well, technically, just upstairs, and not even that far really, they had sort of fallen over halfway up the staircase, look, you get the picture right? "Gwen?" Rhys had been thinking it over ever since Tosh and Owen had died and had finally gotten the nerve and the right signals from the Welshwoman to bring the subject up.

She gave a hum of confirmation and snuggled closer, happily sated after their night of love making and was quite ready to fall asleep there and then. "I've been thinking some stuff over lately,"

"Uh oh," she cut him off with a smirk.

"Ha bloody ha, hilarious, honestly, but- and just listen, don't interrupt or anything then you can have your say- I was thinking that maybe you should take a step back away from torchwood and the alien stuff. just because think about what's happened and how many people have died sweetheart, I don't want to lose you before I've had a long, long life full of you ok? Now, if you want to bollock me go right ahead, but thank you for listening to what I have to say."

Her reaction was not what he expected. He fully thought that he'd get a clap round the head, yelling so loud that he would have to avoid the neighbours for the next few days and a sex ban for a week, what he actually got was a huge hug and a shower of kisses, "Um, not that I'm complaining-" he started but Gwen beat him to it.

"Oh, you're just so sweet!" she squealed, in full on 'gush mode', "You're so considerate and sweet and it is so adorable!"

"Um, ok," Rhys said, wondering if maybe he should disentangle himself from his wife's clinging arms before he died of strangulation.

"But as much as I love you there is no way I am going to leave my job," she told him, snapping from gushing to what he privately called 'army officer mode', "I promise I'll be careful love, don't worry. But I love my job and I wouldn't be able to go back to the police station knowing that Jack and Ianto and any other person were out there fighting aliens."

"I know," Rhys replied, wondering how on earth he had gotten a woman as perfect as the one in his arms right that minute.

"Now," Gwen purred seductively, "what do you say we forgo sleep for a while longer?"

"I think," he said, nibbling on her earlobe and twisting a strand of hair round his finger, "that is a very good idea."


	16. rist alert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which we ehar ianto's philosophy on meal times, we find out about jack and ianto's private lunches together, the trio of men respond to a rift alert and hilarious conversation ensues and jack is reunited with an old friend.
> 
> next chapter: goodbye again
> 
> Next chapter will be longer I promise! Also never jam your foot under a door then drop a bottle on it then trip over a potty full of urine, your whole toe goes purple.
> 
> apologise for any historical innacuracy

Lunchtime was a time for lunch. Just as breakfast was time for breakfast and tea was time was, well, tea. Lunch in the hub usually consisted of either pizza or takeaway or if Martha was being particularly 'healthy' (the others had come to realise that she was only ever healthy when she was annoyed at one of them) they had something healthier- which nobody ever ate but you had to give the girl credit for trying. Sometimes Jack and Ianto went out for lunch by themselves (that earned them 'looks' all round) and they would have fish and chips and then go and eat them in a secluded corner of the nearby park.

What Ianto never told anyone was that he adored those times that the two of them spent curled up on the grass together watching the ducks splash around in the little pond and Ianto loved that Jack would use his coat as a picnic blanket so that he didn't get any marks on his carefully pressed suit. In fact, Ianto loved the way Jack knew him so well that he knew he wouldn't comment about the grass stains or mud and so silently compensated for it instead by sacrificing the one thing that he loved almost as much as Ianto. But, and this was a big but, Ianto had decided long ago that under no circumstances was lunchtime the time for a rift alert, a weevil alert, or any other type of alert aside from the food had been delivered. So it seemed that the universe made sure that there was a rift alert round about lunchtimes as often as possible.

And that was how they came to be here, him, Jack and Mickey sitting in the SUV whilst Gwen directed them to a derelict back alley in Splott and Martha saved the pizza that they had ordered for later, "One day," Ianto told the other two loudly, "the fist will actually spit out something interesting. And useful, you can never go wrong with something useful."

"What if you have already got something useful like it already?" Jack asked from where he was sifting through a pile of garbage.

"Then you can keep the new one for yourself and give the old one away for Christmas," the Welshman explained, "that's why I like useful things, they have more than one purpose and I'm the only one in my family who has something everybody else needs."

"Smart," Mickey remarked, "I'll tell you one thing that I don't get though, toasters."

"Toasters?!" Jack and Ianto repeated in unison.

"Yeah," the torchwood techie said, looking up from where he was scanning the area with some hybrid piece of tech, "I mean, you always seem to get toasters from everybody at weddings and on anniversaries. And you can't give them to anyone else because they've all already got one."

"You've got a point there," the immortal conceded, moving onto the next pile of rubbish, "ok, next item of discussion is… erasers."

"And you said that toasters were stupid," Mickey scoffed before striking the metaphorical gold with his scanner and called the others over.

"It looks like a soldier's hat," Ianto observed, holding the item up to the light, "World War Two if I had to take a guess." Jack saw the hat twirling in the Welshman's long fingers and identified it as an officer's cap from the Second World War, made in 1939 with British materials all over by a woman in a factory somewhere whilst the children crawled under machines to retrieve the cotton.

The item of clothing felt familiar to him as he took it from Ianto and studied it carefully, running his thumb over the lining. Something prodded his mind and the conversation he'd had with Roe as she left on the cruise two days ago came flooding back, 'when you wanted to make sure Algy was ok' a feeling of cold fear settled in the pit of his stomach and he had to swallow hard to repress the bile climbing slowly up his throat. He flipped the hat over and searched for the label sewn into the lining to see if the owner's name had been sewn on at any point. He gulped, 'This hat is the property of Captain Algernon D. Williams, Mormouth Regiment, 1939'.

Jack was so wrapped up in the hat's label that he was completely oblivious to the yellow flame-like tendrils of the rift opening behind him and Ianto and Mickey backed into a corner shouting at him to move. He did turn around, but by then it was too late. Ianto watched as his lover disappeared into the breach in time and space and felt his heart break.

~0~

When Jack regained consciousness he found himself in a dirty alley way spread-eagled on cold damp cobbles with a fine drizzle of rain coming down on him from the dank grey sky above. He pushed himself up and surveyed his surroundings, nope, nothing to tell him where he was although the air was breathable so he guessed earth or some place where the species were humanoid. Cautiously, he got to his feet, mindful of the pounding ache in his head where he had been tossed onto the floor.

He smelled the air and smelt factory smoke, the stench of a nearby river in desperate need of a good overhaul and the slums crammed with people who were gradually losing a bit more hope as each day passed. Definitely earth then, well that wasn't so bad, if he was in the pre-2000 time he would be able to wait and get back to Ianto and simply avoid himself for however long. If he was in the future he could simply go back to Ianto and torchwood. Ooh, he should have wished for peace across the universe whilst he was at it. Jack wondered if maybe he should move out a bit further than just this grim little alley way and see if he could snag a paper or something to check the date; shame the Doctor disabled his vortex manipulator after the year that never was. No, no thinking about the Doctor, he berated himself.

He was about to go and explore when somebody came out of the shadows at the other entrance to the alley way and he turned around as a familiar voice called out his name and found himself face to face with Algy.


	17. goodbye again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i tried to make it as least confusing as possible, you should be able to handle it, 
> 
> in which jack is worried, happy and relieved all at the same time and a mad red headed pansexual chav with low self-esteem lends him a hand in the pouring rain
> 
> next chapter= leaving
> 
> also i have nothing against blondes, honest!
> 
> apologise for any historical inaccuracy

Jack saw his friend come further out of the shadows, "Jack?" he repeated slowly and the immortal man wondered what in hell was going to happen next. Algy was looking him up and down, clearly mulling something over, "You're different," he said finally, "your hair is styled differently and you don't own any shirts in that shade of blue and your boots are black when all officers are given brown ones. Are you the Jack that I know or is this one of them time line things that you told me about?"

Jack felt relieved, he had known Algy wasn't dumb and would remember what he told him all those years ago, "I'm a future Jack," he told the younger man and saw the question of 'how much longer in the future?' on his face, "and, yes, I am still immortal and believe me when I tell you that you would think I was lying if I told you how old I am."

"How did you get here?" Algy asked him, "No offence meant chap but you aren't exactly one for a social call."

"Remember torchwood? Well I'm the boss of it now and there was a rift alert and I got brought here."

"So when do you get to go back then?"

"I'm not sure, you won't see me after morning though, I know that much."

"Time enough to catch up with an old acquaintance?"

"More than enough time,"

Algy and Jack sat on a relatively clean area of floor and as they talked Jack remembered exactly just why he loved the second world war and its people but hated it for what it did to people like Algy, making them hate themselves for being attracted to people of the same gender and forcing them into either a loveless marriage or a life full of solidarity. And he knew how the latter felt all too well.

~0~

Jack was worried. This wasn't unusual, his days travelling with the Doctor and Rose had been such a world wind of excitement that he wasn't sure if he had ever visited 1941 again and he was forever concerned that he'd run into himself and cause a paradox/ but this time he was worried about Algy. The younger man had planned to meet him near the pub but he had never turned up. He had waited for a while then made his way back to the compound to see if his friend had been kept behind after hours for something, only to discover that he was nowhere to be seen; according to Ben Hawkins, Algy had left for the pub on time so why he hadn't turned up was a mystery. It was raining hard now though in contrast to the light drizzle they had had only a few minuites ago so he didn't go back out to search. He was sat in the dark corner of the mess hall furthest away from the door, listening to the other soldiers going about their normal routine whilst he worried. God bless Girly, Jack looked up as the young teen come over and jumped up onto the table opposite him.

Girly had been a homeless girl dancing in the strip clubs in exchange for meagre scraps of food until he and Algy had found her one night lying half dead after one of the men she had met turned out to be a bastard. She was a total tomboy, hence the nickname 'Girly', although her real name was Aja and she had long red hair that reached almost to her waist and big brown eyes and was quite, quite mad (although she always said that her parents had kicked her out because she was a blonde at heart and thick as a brick). She was also the only person who knew about the relationship going on between him and Algy.

"What's a beautiful girl like you doing here when you could be out dancing?" Jack smirked, trying and failing to raise a smile.

"Ya know damn well I isn't pretty luv, and ya also know that I dunno 'ow to bloody dance." She shook her head at him with a fond smile. One consequence of not fitting into the conventions of the time in which she was born was the bullying she got, and if that didn't destroy her self-esteem the deprecating comments from her father most certainly had done.

"What's going on with everyone tonight then?" He asked, trying to take his mind off of brooding over the fate of his lover.

"Well, Jenkins over there's 'parently worrying 'bout 'is wife Betty 'cuz 'parently she's sick but me and Ben has a bet on that she's up the duff again and 'e's gonna call 'er soon as 'e can get outta 'ere, sweet innit?" Girly grinned, "And ya remember that club ya and Algy took me to and I got talkin' to that bird called Tabbie? Well, she wants to meet me again!"

"Go for it sweetheart," Jack encouraged her; she deserved someone special in her life.

"But you're still worried 'bout Algy," Girly told him, giving him a 'don't you dare say otherwise' look when he was about to protest, "ya is worried 'bout 'im Jack, me grandma used to wonder off all the time back 'ome, 'ad us up to all 'ours worryin' 'bout whether she were safe or not."

"What if something's happened to him? Oh my God, Girly what if he's dead?!" he wasn't really surprised when she slapped him.

"Ya bloody dick 'ead, course 'e aint copped it!" she told him fiercely, "Don't be flippin' temptin' fate bled!"

"I know but, shit, Girly, I'm scared." Jack admitted fearfully.

"As I said, 'e's probably fan-fuckin'-fabby-dozy but if it makes ya 'appy, come on." The red-head hopped down from the table and pulled on her jacket, Jack had been so preoccupied that he hadn't even thought to take his coat off.

"Where're we going?" he asked as they stepped out into the pouring rain.

"Well as much as it pains me to say, ya got me worried now aint ya? And if 'e stays out in the rain without a coat then 'e's gonna get bloody pneumonia aint 'e?"

But as they split up in search of their friend, Jack knew it was because Girly cared just as much as he did.

~0~

"So what happens now?" Algy asked Jack, "How are you going to get back to whatever time it is that you came from?"

"Well I can't go back to torchwood right now so if the rift doesn't take me back I'll just have to live through it until I get back to my time." The immortal explained, hoping that he appeared more confident than he felt.

Then a tingling sensation and a crackling noise came over them and they sprang up and away from the wall they had been leaning against. The rift was going to take him back and he knew what he had to do next. "Algy," Jack said frantically, holding something out in his hand, "listen to me, alright? The me in this time, I remember finding you passed out in this exact alley way and something was familiar to me but I didn't understand how it could have happened but I do now." He grabbed Algy's hand and placed the object in it, "Soon as I've gone you have to take this ok? Or a paradox could happen and who knows what that'll cause."

"Ok," the younger soldier nodded, he hesitated slightly then pressed forward and kissed Jack gently, "you have got somebody haven't you?" he asked worriedly, "You're not just being a lonely old man are you?"

"Oh, I've got someone," Jack grinned then sobered slightly, "it'll be ok Algy, you'll be ok, I promise." Then the rift thing had taken him and Algy looked from the bleak brick wall to the pill in his hand before swallowing it dry.

~0~

"Algy? Algy wake up!" he blinked open his eyes sleepily and found himself looking up at Jack's face which held equal part worry and relief, "you bloody idiot Al'! I and Girly have been searching all night for you! What are you sleeping in the rain for? You've probably gone and gotten yourself pneumonia or something!"

"Jack?" Algy asked shakily, "What happened?"

"You never showed up at the pub so I went to see if they had kept you behind at the compound and Ben told me you had left on time then Girly and me went searching because it was raining hard and although she forever deny it she was worried sick about you getting pneumonia. Do you feel ok? You look really pale."

"Dizzy," he said, pushing himself upright, "slightly sick, and so cold."

"I repeat, you idiot Al'. Think you can stand?"

"Just give me a second,"

"Take your time, what happened Algy?"

The younger man tried to remember and came up blank so he just shrugged, "I remember walking towards the pub then it's all blank,"

"Right, you are taking sick leave, even Brookes isn't that much of a prick that he'll let a guy go on sentry duty with pneumonia."

Jack helped his lover back to the tiny apartment that he owned, and couldn't help but think when he was rubbing Algy's back as he vomited later on that it was almost as if he had had an allergic reaction to retcon.

But that was impossible, wasn't it?


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which jack comes back, gwen and martha are BAMF, mickey has some planning to do and ianto is happy
> 
> next chapter= talking is good for the soul

Ianto was going frantic because Jack had been taken by the rift and could be just about anywhere in the entire fucking universe. Mickey wasn't panicking as much, the constant biting of his knuckle was the only sign of anxiety he let through as he tried to discover where the immortal man had gone.

"This is my entire fault," Ianto said despondently, his angry ticking of nearby garbage cans dying down until he thumped his hands against the adjacent wall in frustration.

"And just how exactly did you work that one out?" Mickey asked him, reluctantly curious.

"Because if I hadn't been such a fucking idiot I would have pulled Jack out of the way and all that would have gotten taken was some stupid garbage can!" and he kicked the lid and sent it stuttering away as if to prove his point.

"Yeah, or maybe Jack had to be taken by the rift or then he would never have done something wherever that he had to do and a paradox would have happened. What's done is done Ianto, we can't change it so we can't blame anyone, and we just have to live with it."

"When did you become an expert?" Ianto asked with a tiny smile. Just then, a crackling noise ripped through the air and the rift spit out the one and only Captain Jack Harkness for the second time that night, "Fucking hell." Ianto said simply before grabbing his lover and pulling him into a tight hug that was immediately returned. Mickey watched the two men tangled up in each other's arms as they clung tightly on to one another and murmured sweet nothings and 'I love you's almost like prayers or a mantra linking them to sanity.

They eventually broke apart and kissed each other fiercely and passionately before pulling back and Mickey blew out a deep sigh of relief as he had been almost about to squee at how sweet the scene playing out before him was.

"Back to the hub?" Jack asked them with a grin.

~0~

By this time, the Doctor was used to getting shouted at by various females of numerous species, it happened almost daily and he had come to almost look forward to the shouting matches- they gave him a more formidable opponent then the aliens who were set on universal dictatorship. So when he entered the hub it came as no surprise when Martha and Gwen were onto him like a shot.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Martha demanded, incandescent with rage as the Welshwoman hurriedly told Mickey of the situation they had going on and came over to help her friend.

"Well I was wondering if-" the time lord began to speak before Gwen cut him off with a glare.

"You're not welcome here Doctor! Didn't we tell you that enough times already?! What do we have to do or say to drum that into your thick head?!"

"Well, yes, you did say that but that was before Rose left on that cruise…"

"Oh don't you dare bring Rose into this!" Martha yelled, jabbing him in the chest with a manicured finger, "It doesn't matter if Rose is here or not, she had nothing to do with how much of a bastard you are! It doesn't matter anyway because you are leaving! Right this minuite before Jack and Ianto and Mickey come back and you cause yet another argument! You know, Rose was right when she said that you're the bringer of death and destruction and cause chaos everywhere you go. So leave Doctor, leave torchwood alone from now on before you and your bloody attitude tear us all apart and stop us from repairing the damage you've already done."

The Doctor threw his hands up in the air in a clear sign of defeat before turning and stalking out of the hub in a rage. Martha shook as she tried to suppress the rage that she felt and the two women stood silent as the sound of the Tardis reached their ears.

~0~

Mickey really didn't like his emotions at this point in time. Or any time where there was a tense and/or awkward situation actually but that was an explanation for another time. But this time, he really was grateful for Jack's 'weird and creepy almost to the point of supernatural' ability to read people and know exactly what they needed for any and every situation that you might come across in your life whichever time period you were in.

He was on a bench in some secluded part of the city where one person went by every hour or so when Jack came and sat beside him and offered him a tissue even though he wasn't crying- yet. "You got an endless supply of tissues in your pockets or something?" Mickey asked, actually now that you mentioned it, he really wouldn't put it past him

"Only because my presence seems to make everybody burst into tears," the immortal replied and although his tone was light Mickey could see the self-deprecating attitude behind it accompanying the bucket load of self-doubt in his blue eyes, "it's coming up to the funeral." Jack said and the younger didn't ask how he knew so he just gave a nod, "you'll be wanting the day off then?"

"Even if I decide that I'm too much of a coward to go?"

"So take a day off, do… whatever it is you mortals do on your days off, do the grieving process and all that if you feel you absolutely have to."

"What if I say I would rather be working?"

"Nu-uh, Mickey Mouse, I've tried that before and trust me; it only makes things worse in the long run."

"I have the Harkness guarantee on that do I?" Mickey smirked.

"Oh yeah, you want to see want to see something else that I have a guarantee on?" Jack winked gleefully and Mickey smacked him lightly on the arm.

"You're something else!" he laughed.

"So I've heard,"

"Oh, you're definitely something alright."

"Oi!"


	19. talking is good for the soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which there is both a funeral, baby talk and a phone call
> 
> next chapter: friends and family
> 
> this fic should probbaly be finished by wednesday

Mickey had never particularly liked funerals; he never knew how to pronounce the weird words in the hymns or how to sit on the uncomfortable wooden pews without getting a numb arse or how to stay perfectly still and not fidget whilst the holy saints in the stained glass windows stared down at you with severe frowns on their faces. The last time he had been to a funeral was when his grandpa had died (his grandmother's funeral he was in hospital after an attempted suicide) and then he had been too preoccupied with the fact that the picture of the crucifixion hadn't shown Jesus screaming and was therefore unrealistic to realise the enormity of what was going on around him.

This funeral, he realised, was probably unlike most other funerals and cremations, if only because one of the guests had turned up with a police escort in handcuffs and chains, yeah, definitely not the most normal of farewells to a deceased relative. Surprisingly enough though, his father was present at the wake as well, better late than never, Mickey told himself as he geared up some courage and started to walk towards the man that he hadn't seen in over a decade. No one in Harrieta's family seemed willing to even go near the convict, surprise, and surprise.

"17 years dad," he said bluntly as he walked up to Benjamin, resisting the urge to lash out, "that's a new low, even for you."

"Go to hell," the elder spat, "that's where I went soon as I met your mother, the both of you worthless cunts."

"And what about you mum?" the techie asked coolly.

"Oh yeah, why hasn't the dozy old bag turned up then, too busy getting pissed is she?"

"Because she's dead you self-centred bastard, has been for seven years now and I haven't heard from mum since a year after you left. Did you know she has cancer? And you leaving gave her a mental break down?"

"Far as I'm concerned you're a useless bloody idiot, sooner you die the better." Harrieta heard what the cold-hearted man has said- along with the rest of the room- and was just about to slap him when Mickey spoke up.

"Call me what you like but at least I've got a life instead of being banged up and a suspected paedophile." And he left without another word.

~0~

When Ianto woke up it was to a very pleasant feeling of a warm body in bed beside him and the darkness giving way to the first rays of sunlight which was… actually pretty good when you thought about it. The Welshman turned over with all intents of snuggling down close next to Jack and going back to sleep but it turned out that the immortal was already awake. Now, drawing on past situations like this, Ianto fully expected to have a wild morning of sex, sex, breakfast, and then more sex but no, Jack just squirmed closer too and pulled him down into a hug before going back to sleep. This made him frown slightly and be concerned again because his lover had been acting taciturn and sad since coming back from wherever he'd been taken by the rift.

Ianto suddenly found himself looking into bright blue eyes that mirrored his own and met Jack halfway for a chaste but sweet kiss, "What are you thinking about?" the former con man asked, voice barely above a whisper in the silence of dawn.

"You've been quiet ever since the rift brought you back, why?"

"You remember how in World War Two I had a lover called Algy? Well, I met him again."

"Oh," Ianto couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Yeah, it brought back some memories." Jack said, turning over and flinging an arm over his chest. Ianto settled down as well and as he ran his fingers through his lover's soft, silky brown hair, he spoke again.

"Tell me more about the baby," and to his surprise, Jack did.

"Lucy managed to sort out a proper and grave for her but it was too dangerous for a funeral. The Master had already killed you and the others and this was before he had started to only kill me every other week to stop me getting pregnant so she was obviously yours. Lucy put her name as Jacqueline on the head stone because she wasn't allowed down to the boiler room where I was being held to see what I would name her."

Even in the dim light of the bedroom Ianto could tell that Jack was close to tears and pulled him in so close it was difficult to tell where one of them started and the other ended, "I'm sorry cariad," he whispered, breath tickling the top of his ear.

"I know," Jack replied.

~0~

"So how have you been?" Martha asked Rose down the phone excitedly.

"It has been the best!" Rose told her happily, "I have got such a tan you would not believe it was real and the weather is always so warm when I come back I'll freeze like a Popsicle!"

"Lucky bitch!" the medic laughed, "So have you met anyone? Seen any aliens?"

"Yes and, thankfully, no," the blonde replied, "the Doctor has turned up once or twice, never talked to either of us, just stood in the background staring and one time following us down the street."

"He seems to have gotten the message," Martha agreed, "although I and Gwen had to have a right go at him for it to get through though."

"Let me guess, it went something along the lines of 'stupid prick, insensitive git, bloody selfish idiot and something about attitude and tearing everybody apart'?" Rose sighed.

"In one," she confirmed, "but cheer up Rose! He's obviously got the message and all of us are free to carry on with our lives without worrying that the Doctor is going to come round the corner at any moment and say something completely imbecilic. It's so brilliant!"

"I know," Rose told her, "but it'll be weird. I can hardly remember what I did before the Doctor came into my life, how can anyone go back to being normal after that?"

"We adapt," Martha insisted, "Sarah Jane started to investigate aliens, I joined UNIT, Jack created a new torchwood; you helped said torchwood when they were struggling to identify a piece of alien tech when Jack was with the Doctor."

"I suppose you're right," she conceded, "I have to go, it's almost time to eat and if you go to the restaurant here in anything but something super posh you get severely frowned at, bye Martha."

"See you Rose," and she was gone/


	20. friends and family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which Martha has a view on phones, mickey says sorry and jack and ianto debate on sleeping and lolly pops

Phones were very annoying, Martha decided, no matter what the advertising companies and the believers in the 'age of technology' said, she just didn't buy it. Phones rang or beeped or whatever you had programmed it to do and you heard bad news on the other end of the line or you had to report bad news to somebody and they rang when you were in a nice warm shower at the end of a long hard day when you wanted nothing more than to relax in front of the telly and eat take away. And if you called a person overseas it cost a bomb. Unless of course one had a supercharged phone which had been modified by one's doctor using a sonic screwdriver. Now that was a whole other story, admittedly a rather good one, but not just now. Of course there were some benefits to phones, you could chat with a very good friend you didn't get a chance to talk to very often what with almost saving the world from hostile aliens, a friend such as Sarah Jane Smith for example.

"So how did the famous Torchwood team react to meeting the Doctor?" the journalist asked Martha.

"Pretty well considering that he tried to rape Jack."

"He did what?!" the elder cried in horror.

"Along with insult everybody, cause a lot of fights, make Jack doubt himself even more than usual and also bring up a bunch load of memories Jack and Mickey have tried to forget and the rest of us wish we'd never learnt of."

"Christ on a crutch," Sarah Jane said weakly, "is everyone ok? How are you all dealing with it?"

"I and Mickey are fine, Rhys and Gwen have never listened to the Doctor anyways, Jack and Ianto have dealt with worse and Rose and Dave are off on a cruise for 18 months, we're fine."

"Do you want me to have a little chat with him?" Sarah Jane asked, her soft tone hiding a bar of steel.

"Could you?" Martha replied gratefully, "Just tell him to never come back no matter what and to be nicer to people."

"Will do honey," the former companion promised.

~0~

Mickey realised that he had travelled in his car an awful lot this past fortnight so he decided to take the train to London this time, he had the rest of the day off so he might as well make the most of it. He didn't exactly no where he was going precisely as he got off the train, his mind blanked out and his feet sort of, took control of his body. The techie had a sudden sense of déjà vu and remembered travelling to Cardiff to see Rose when she was still travelling with the Doctor.

When Mickey next looked up from where he seemed to have taken up a permanent job of staring at his feet and saw he was in an all too familiar graveyard. He looked slightly further afield than his pair of grubby trainers and spotted an all too familiar grave that made his heart heavy with grief as he read the words carved into the stone.

Here lies Andrea Nancy Smith

1930-2000

A much loved grandmother and friend

R.I.P.

Mickey realised that the weeds were starting to claw their way back onto the small strip of soil and the flowers in the little blue cracked vase were days away from giving up the ghost. Tears sprung to his eyes and he hastily tried to blink them back but it was an effort done in vain and warm salty drops started to make their way down his cheeks.

"Shit, Gran, I'm sorry for being such a useless git." and the tears ran even faster because his gran had always told him not to swear, "I'm sorry for being so useless Gran, if I had just fixed the carpet on the stairs then you would never have fallen, I'm sorry Gran. If I wasn't so useless dad would have stayed and mum would never have had broken down and had to be taken away. I'm sorry Gran."

And he kept repeating his apologies over and over, painfully aware that this was one of those occasions where sorry wasn't enough.

~0~

Ianto was woken from what was a very pleasant dream by the screaming that was coming from the man sleeping next to him. He narrowly avoided being turned off the tiny bed by Jack's frantic squirming; he carefully rolled over and pulled the immortal man close, "Sshh Jack, it's ok, it's all just a dream." He soothed, carding his fingers through his lover's hair, "You need to sleep cariad," Ianto said softly, "you've only had an hour and a half."

"Don't need to," Jack pouted, he really could rival any three year old if he wanted to.

"Now, we both know that that isn't the truth don't we?" the Welshman quite often felt like he was talking to a three year old sometimes.

"How should u know? As amazing and fantastic as I am I'm not a telepathic so I can't listen to your thoughts."

"And I don't have to be a telepathic to know that you are actually an overgrown three year old," Ianto remarked, "if you sleep some more then I'll give you a lolly pop." He coaxed, crazy but this was Jack he was arguing with, anything could happen.

"I'll forfeit the lolly pop thank you very much because I know that I am right and you are wrong." Jack smirked, honestly, that was certainly going to take the younger a while to answer.

"Well either you go to sleep now or you take the sleeping pills or I'm going to get Martha to give you a lecture on the importance of taking care of yourself and I'll give you de-caff for a whole week."

Ok, they were onto the threat of de-caff, he was getting down on his knees and worshipping Ianto if he had to, "Just give me the pills." Jack sighed, holding out his hand and Ianto rewarded him with a peck on the cheek.

"Thank you cariad," he smiled gratefully and as he went to fetch a mug Jack stared very pointedly at his arse. He really would do anything for coffee. And Ianto, but this was mainly for coffee.


	21. of an end

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the end

The sun was shining, the sea was sparkling, and the seagulls were cawing happily to each other as they circled around in the sky. And Rose was the happiest that she had ever been, with the sun beating down on her face and the wind blowing in her hair and Dave next to her as they stood at the rail of the cruise ship and gazed out at the calm blue sea, the surface of which was occasionally broken by a fish marked as prey by some other underwater animal.

Rose smiled as the little Pekinese dog owned by the elderly couple two doors down ran along the deck towards a group of children who all had ice creams in their hands. Well, Rover certainly had his priorities right no matter what the number of weird places he had found to 'do his businesses'. She became aware that Dave had started speaking to her again and she pulled herself out of her musings to listen in.

"… Back to our room to change, it's almost time for lunch and I have a surprise for you."

"Sure, let's go." Rose told her boyfriend with a smile.

They got back to their room with 20 minuites left until lunch was due to be served and the two hurriedly got dressed into what they had jokingly termed their 'eating best'. Rose pulled and adjusted her necklace and earrings just as Dave called her name, "Rose? Close your eyes." And she just knew that he was smiling that perfect smile of his.

"If this is another one of your practical jokes I swear…" she abruptly stopped when she wrenched open her eyes and saw the elder man kneeling on one knee with a ring in his hands.

"You can probably guess what I'm going to say," He grinned, "so what's your answer?"

"It's a bloody yes of course!" Rose replied ecstatically. He slid the ring onto her finger then pulled her into a deep slow kiss.

They never made it to lunch.

~0~

Late that night as the two of them lay in bed together after yet another round of love-making, she took a moment to reflect on everything that had lead up to this moment. A girl with blonde hair and pink hoody was pulled along by a northerner with big ears and a leather jacket and abandoned her just moments before the shop where she worked went up in flames.

The daft old northerner she had come to love changed into a younger man who liked jelly babies and wearing 3D glasses. She remembered the hurt look that came onto Mickey's face every time that he'd been forgotten about by this new man and how he had left never to return after the Doctor had bodily dragged him from the parallel world just hours before his gran was due to fall down the stairs.

She recalled in perfect detail how the northerner refused to let Jack check up on his old friend and go to his dad's grave yet let her go to hers. She saw the anguished look on his face as he tried to deal with the fact that he had just been almost raped by someone who he had thought was his friend.

Rose remembered so many things and as Dave snored quietly beside her she knew she had made the right choice.

THE END!


	22. poem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> last chapter now, thank you everyone!  
> just a poem I made up halfway through writing this

Because the Doctor never stays,

And rarely comes back,

Every time he's here,

Is only to have a go at Jack,

Because he's the Oncoming Storm,

The madman in a box

And his heart is protected

By half a billion locks,

Because he is a time lord,

And they don't stick around,

They rarely even come back,

When you're buried in the ground,

Because the Doctor,

The Oncoming Storm,

Needs his companions,

Like bees need a swarm,

Because under it all,

When the night emerges from the day,

He is a coward,

And always runs away.


End file.
